Seasinger and Twiddle effect

[Maveric78f]

Can I control 2 creatures with my Seasinger by untapping it in response to a first activation (with Twiddle for instance) and activating another time still in response to the first activation ?

I've been told that no on another site but I can't get the reason why.

[cdr]

Seasinger 1UU
Creature - Merfolk 0/1
When you control no Islands, sacrifice Seasinger.
You may choose not to untap Seasinger during your untap step.
{T}: Gain control of target creature whose controller controls an Island as long as you control Seasinger and Seasinger remains tapped.

418.3d. Some effects from activated or triggered abilities have durations worded "as long as . . . ." If the "as long as" duration ends between the end of playing the activated ability or putting the triggered ability onto the stack and the moment when the effect would first be applied, the effect does nothing. It doesn't start and immediately stop again, and it doesn't last forever.

Example: Endoskeleton is an artifact with an activated ability that reads "{2}, {T}: Target creature gets +0/+3 as long as Endoskeleton remains tapped." If you play this ability and then Endoskeleton becomes untapped before the ability resolves, it does nothing, because its duration-remaining tapped-was over before the effect began.

[Nihil Credo]

I agree with the ruling, but wow, is that counterintuitive. An activated ability that cares for what happens while it's still on the stack? When that happens elsewhere in Magic, it's always explicitly stated (split second, Lightning Storm).

I actually wonder if this isn't a rule that needs fixing. The "It doesn't start and immediately stop again, and it doesn't last forever" part seems to imply it was written without the posted example in mind. If the condition is true again when the ability resolves, one would not expect it to fizzle.

[Maveric78f]

You can still give it a try in tournament. Judges even mess up on well-known card interactions (Sea Drake and a single land for instance) and opponents too will most of the time trust you. But that's not a fair play I admit.

I tried everything to trick with that damn seasinger and it looks like there is nothing that works the way I want (tried phasing out her or the creature it conrolled, tried the twiddle effect, tried to stifle the "whenever untapped", tried to sudden spoil myself, tried to bounce it in resp to activation, etc). Now I give up.

As you said Nihil, this rule looks like a devoted rule for preventing from doing stupid things with that kind of abilities.

[Nihil Credo]

If you want to use a single Seasinger/Callous Oppressor/whatever to control two creatures, Rings of Brighthearth would do the job.

[Maveric78f]

Not really a trick... Neither legacy compliant, I think.

[Ophidian]

Not really a trick... Neither legacy compliant, I think.

How bout Altar of Dementia or something of it's ilk. Take a creature, sac it to the Altar, play a merfolk, use Merrow to untap the Seasinger, take a creature, rinse//repeat

[Lego]

Just play Merieke. Take a creature, Twiddle her, take a creature, etc. (play her with all the new Tapping/Untapping Merfolk, especially Merrow Reejerey, for more fun. Incidentally, this is T2 legal )

[cdr]

If by "not a fair play" you mean "blatent cheating". Just so we're being clear.

You can still give it a try in tournament. Judges even mess up on well-known card interactions (Sea Drake and a single land for instance) and opponents too will most of the time trust you. But that's not a fair play I admit.