If opponents keep asking for Oracle text because you're playing a 99% obscure deck, there are time considerations. You might get some wins/losses/draws that you didn't mean to, and opponents didn't mean to, because the gameplay is slowed down.
I'll also echo the sentiment that old English cards are terrible for being up-to-date, and that consulting Oracle is always best. Makes me wish you could append a marker to cards that are dramatically different, for those that wish to exhibit sportsmanship.
Having said that, as a pimp-in-training, I can safely say that if you can read your cards, you're doing it wrong
A book about the dark side of Legacy: "Magic: The Addiction" // Conversations with Magic players: "Humans of Magic"
What I've heard Thopter foundry was quite popular in chinese due to thopters being blue (dunno why it was relevant), Tabernacle fx is destroy not sacrifice, Ruric Thar has to attack (who remembers outside of elves players), there is someone bolting a Mongoose once in a while., a lot of small things on cards... if you played some weird shit like xyz charm I'm quite sure most people have no idea of the other modes after 5 mins even if they read the oracle
I play fully foreign Lands, so in order to save time, it’s become second nature for me to state both the full oracle and then explain what it will actually do in practice. Can almost hear myself talking about The Tabernacle, Dark Depths and Glacial Chasm in my sleep.
Sometimes I even help them pick the correct card when they have to choose from my Intuition pile, because if they can’t figure it out within half a minute, usually it means I’m gonna win anyway.
Pretty much sums it up accurately, you won’t be getting any advantages against a strong opponent, consequently it’s not scummy.
If you do this at a tournament, be certain to only include the card itself in the print. Most such printouts will include the Oracle text with the print. And while every judge who shows such pages to players requesting them during matches allows them to see this, it is illegal for a player to do so on their own. It falls under the outside assistance category, since the chain of Oracle rulings, and often specific examples are also noted, and I have had friends get losses for doing so.
See, this is what I'm talking about right here.
How many free wins against average players can you get in the Swiss just by running foreign language cards? And the corollary is - what's the downside (in terms of time lost, matches dragged out, bad karma, etc)?
If I run a card they are unfamiliar with that has close-to-Oracle english text, and they make the correct decision based on that, BUT if I were playing the Japanese version of that card, and they make an assumption about its abilities and lose the game because of that assumption... maybe playing the foreign language card is worthwhile.
Again - I'm not purposely misleading them - it's their responsibility to be up-to-date on the correct wording of all the cards they will likely run into - and furthermore, their responsibility to call a judge if they are unsure at any given moment.
Obviously, really good players will not be so sloppy, so this tactic probably doesn't apply to the top-8 matchups or anything like that - but in the Swiss, sometimes you run into sloppy and/or mediocre players with decks that are *bad matchups* for your deck, and getting a free win against a bad matchup is always nice to have, isn't it?
So say you play a Korean Thalia, and your opponent hasn't really run into this card before. They ask you what she does and you say that she's a 2/1 that makes noncreature spells cost 1 more to cast. Next turn the player attacks their 2/2 into her, and after you block you let them know she also has first-strike.
Is that illegal?
Is it their fault for not calling a judge for the oracle? Is it their fault for never having seen the card before? Or is it your fault for purposely trying to mislead your opponent?
You can withhold information. If you say thalia is a 2/1 human that makes spells cost 1 more, that's fine.
Oracle text is derived information. While you aren't allowed to lie about it, you do not have to tell the whole truth. Don't answer judge questions for which you do not know the answer.
Notice it only says free information has to be answered completely if asked by a player. Else you'd have to state every single aspect of a card should your opponent asks you.Originally Posted by Magic Tournament Rules
In your world, if you ask me what is that card and it's a grizzly bear, I'm getting in trouble for simply saying it's a 2/2. In your world I gotta say its 2/2 with no abilities that is creature-bear and is green and other details.
Edit: more exhaustive: http://www.magic-league.com/article/...unication.html
2nd Edit: Further reading: http://archive.wizards.com/Magic/mag...icle/20070911aToby Elliott on Player Communication Guide
Basic information consists of publicly viewable information, the base characteristics of the cards in play (including choices made) and actions taken. Derived information is what you get when you put together all the basic information and your knowledge of the rules to form a picture of the game state.
However, statements do not need to be exhaustive - honest answers with careful omissions or "non-answers" designed to misdirect opponents into making suboptimal - but not illegal - plays are acceptable.
Matt Bevenour in real life
Why not? I'm playing foreigned-out bear tribal with the best bears in Magic, and I tell you my Forest Bear is a 2/2 when you ask. You decide to play Engineered Plague on Ape because, well just check out this sweet art:
Is that unsporting to not say that my Forest Bear is a Bear?
Languages and dates for every set. For all you true pimps.
I wouldn't ever not say Thalia doesn't have First Strike. I think that's scummy. If they don't remember after I told them it had first strike, tough beans.
-Matt
So I guess basically to answer the OP, yes you MAY get free wins or a slight edge against players who are unfamiliar with your cards if they are foreign, and you can even leave out key information if they ask you what your cards do. However, it's probably not the nicest thing to do--karma wise.
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