Can someone explain to me

[mikekelley]

The Daru Spiritualist/Shaman-en-Kor/Starlit Sanctum combo to me?

I can swallow the fact that it works, as stupid as I think it is. What if I deal no damage to the Shaman the entire game? And I just keep donking him with direct damage?

I am retarded, or blind, or both. But some kid was trying to explain this to me, and I did not see where he was coming from.

[Vardaman]

You don't need a source of damage. You can use the redirecting ability w/o damage happening.

[Nightmare]

Moved to appropriate forum.

[quicksilver]

It works because the shaman will redirt the next one damage that will be delt to it that turn. Now the damage doesn't need to have occured yet, it jsut sets up a little replacement effect that redirects the next one damage that would be sent to it, if that damage never comes well then that replacement effect goes away at end of turn. But the point is you can do this before the damage is delt, even if there is no damage, and you can do it as many times as you like. So you can play it and target your Daru Spiritualist as many times as you want, thus making your Daru Spiritualist have a huge toughness.

[Ewokslayer]

Daru Spiritualist
Whenever a Cleric you control becomes the target of a spell or ability, it gets +0/+2 until end of turn.

Shaman en-Kor
0: The next 1 damage that would be dealt to Shaman en-Kor this turn is dealt to target creature you control instead.
1W: The next time a source would deal damage to target creature this turn, that damage is dealt to Shaman en-Kor instead.

Starlit Sanctum
Tap: Add 1 to your mana pool.
W, Tap, Sacrifice a Cleric: You gain life equal to that Cleric’s toughness.
B, Tap, Sacrifice a Cleric: Target player loses life equal to that Cleric’s power.

So the Combo works because there doesn't need to be a source of damage to use the Shaman en-Kor's ability. You are setting up a "redirection shield" similar in concept to a regeneration shield. Since the ability costs zero it can be done any number of times. Each time it is used and targets a Cleric, the Daru Spiritualist's ability will resolve and the result will be a cleric with a toughness equal to its original toughness+ 2* the number of times you have targeted with the Shaman en-Kor's ability. Then you just use the White activated ability of the Sanctum to gain that much life.

The combo can be done with anything that targets for zero mana (Lightning Greaves [needs to be two creatures on the board], Shuko) in place of the Shaman en-Kor.

[mikekelley]

So lame.

[Link Ramirez]

The combo can be done with anything that targets for zero mana (Lightning Greaves [needs to be two creatures on the board], Shuko) in place of the Shaman en-Kor.

Can you please confirm my thoughts on why Shuko is working with only one creature?

I think it is because rule 701.3b says
"If an effect tries to attach an Aura, Equipment, or Fortification to the object it’s already attached to, the effect does nothing."
So the already equipped creature is a legal target for the equip-ability and any "creature becomes target" abilities got triggered. But nothing further happens, because the effect does nothing. Am I right?

[MMogg]

So lame.

Indeed, there was a deck I remember being played a long time ago that ran en-Kors and

http://www.coolstuffinc.com/images/Products/mtg%20art/Mercadian%20Masques/Task%20Force.jpghttp://www.coolstuffinc.com/images/Products/mtg%20art/Urzas%20Legacy/About%20Face.jpg

Very cheesy. :smile:

[endijian]

Can you please confirm my thoughts on why Shuko is working with only one creature?

I think it is because rule 701.3b says
So the already equipped creature is a legal target for the equip-ability and any "creature becomes target" abilities got triggered. But nothing further happens, because the effect does nothing. Am I right?


You activate the ability, the triggered ability triggers and resolves (if all players pass prority, of course), and finally Shukos activated ability resolves and does nothing (if it already equipped the target creatre in the beginning).
Which does not matter, because the creature was equipped in the first place - the net result is the same (the creature carries a Shuko).
So rule 701.3b has actually nothing to do with the combo.
The question is rather "Why does Lightning Greaves need 2 creatures?", and the answer is, of course, Shroud.

[Link Ramirez]

Sorry for not making myself clear.

What I meant is, that the creature carrying the equipment is a legal target for the equip ability. I actually know how the combo works as I am playing a similar one.
But sometimes you have to explain combos to newcomers and for some it is hard to understand that you can equip the self creature over and over again. And the place where this is mentioned is the quoted rule. Because the rule says the effect does nothing. It does not say an ability can't try.

[heroicraptor]

Because the Equip ability says "target creature", not "target creature not equipped by <cardname>".

[Link Ramirez]

Because the Equip ability says "target creature", not "target creature not equipped by <cardname>".

Thank you. This is exactly the compact explanation I was looking for!