Lapse of Certainty

Hi Mark! Regarding Lapse of Certainty. I've quickly searched and there aren't any mono white card that put permanents on top, bottom, n cards from the top of the library, at least since Ravnica Guilds. And I've read that it isn't something that white does anymore. So Lapse of Certainty actually seems out of the white slice of the pie, for me.

White can delay spells, not unsummon permanents (to the library).

Lapse of Certainty Permanents Spells The Library Two Color Unsummon White

Lapse Certainty's Place

Is Lapse of Certainty still in white's color pie, or is it considered a pie break now?

It’s still in white’s pie. I’m not sure play design wants to print it though.

Card Printing Color Pie Lapse of Certainty Play Design White

Status of Lapse of Certainty

Is Lapse of Certainty considered a break now?Or could white get a similar counterspell that delayed a card for a turn or two?

Lapse of Certainty is fine in white.

Bend / Break Lapse of Certainty White

White Counterspells Request

I'd like to request more white counterspells! I really enjoy playing with Mana Tithe and Lapse of Certainty

Here’s the current state of white taxing and delaying counterspells. They’re in color pie, but play design isn’t currently interested in making them.

Color Pie Lapse of Certainty Mana Mana Tithe Play Design Tithe White

Addressing Stifle Effects in White

Apologies if you've answered this already! But does white's counterspell-ing being about delays mean that effects like Stifle could (not necessarily *will*!) be in white, since it's just saying "not right now" to that ability? Or is stifling a whooooole other ballgame?

No, I’m talking about effects like Lapse of Certainty.

Lapse of Certainty Stifle White

Lapse of Certainty Class

Is lapse of certainty a bend of break in white?

I don’t believe so.

Bend / Break Lapse of Certainty White

White Counterspells Request

Maybe I am in the minority, but I personally like counterspells and think allowing White to have a few more copies of Lapse of Certainty or Tithe would both be fun and impactful.

When Magic was centered in a format that constantly rotated, it was easier for us to do that as we could make sure certain things just showed up at a set rate. Now that the most dominant format uses all the cards, it’s much trickier for us to have a color just do something a little.

Colors Lapse of Certainty Tithe White

Classification of Lapse of Certainty

Is Lapse of Certainty a break?

No. White is allowed to do that. The reluctance of doing more white soft counters isn’t because of color pie. My guess is it’s for gameplay/play design reasons.

Bend / Break Color Pie Game Play Lapse of Certainty Play Design White

Memory Lapse Color Shift

Any chance Memory Lapse could ever see a direct color shift to white? Or is that no longer within its pie?

White gets the effect, but not at the same cost (Lapse of Certainty).

Colors Lapse of Certainty Memory Lapse White

White's Counterspell Abilities

Are counterspells still available in white? (Like lapse of certainty)

Delaying and taxing ones, yes, but infrequently.

Lapse of Certainty White

White's Counter Magic

Is Lapse of Certainty still in White's colour pie? On a related note, is a colourshifted Remand something the colour can do, ignoring power level?

I think both those effects are possible in white.

Colors Lapse of Certainty Power Level White

White Counterspell Future

Do you think you will play around with white's space in counterspells (In cards like Mana Tithe and Lapse of Certainty) a little more in the future? I'm interested bc of your answer confidently stating Mana Tithe was in-pie.

It’s something we plan to do, but infrequently.

Lapse of Certainty Mana Mana Tithe White

Red Counter Spells

Could Red have counter spells like lapse of certainty? (hard counter put spell on top of Library)

No. White is secondary in that (although it doesn’t do it often).

Lapse of Certainty Red Secondary Spells The Library White

Counterspell Preferences

What do you think of Lapse of Certainty?

I’ll tell you at the start of the next turn. : I like it. I enjoy white dipping its toe into delay style (or taxing) counterspells.I believe white shouldn’t be as good at it as blue but Lapse of Judgment is no Memory Lapse.

Blue Lapse of Certainty Memory Lapse White

White Effect Confirmation

Is Lapse of Certainty still capable of being a white effect?

I believe so.

Lapse of Certainty White

Counterspell Color Identity

You've recently said that cards like Guttural Response are color pie breaks and shouldn't be allowed. Does that also extend to Lapse of Certainty or Mana Tithe? As someone who LOVES blue counterspells, I think conditional counters have an excellent home in white.

White mostly counters proactively, but it can counter through light taxing or temporarily through delay.

Blue Color Pie Colors Guttural Response Lapse of Certainty Mana Mana Tithe White

White and Soft Counterspells

Will we ever see White become the color of soft counterspells (Lapse of Certainty, Mana Tithe) and Blue being hard counterspells? Then people can't complain that Blue is the only color that can interact on the stack, even though white and green have ways to counter removal spells and Red has ways to counter Blue's counterspells.

I believe white might dip it’s toe in to counterspells (and it has) but I don’t anticipate white becoming home to all soft counterspells.

Blue Colors Green Lapse of Certainty Mana Mana Tithe Red Spells The Stack White

White's Counter Spells

You mention white gets a little bit of countering but there are only three unconditional non blue counterspells. Dash Hopes, Lapse of Certainty, and Mana Tithe. Black and White each have an additional two conditional counters. Excluding Mana Tithe since the set it was in was all about changing the color pie it looks like white and black are equal in their counters. Neither has very many though and most of them are over a decade old.

I never said white got nonconditional counterspells.

Black Blue Color Pie Colors Dash Dash Hopes Lapse of Certainty Mana Mana Tithe White

Frankie Peanuts Ruling

In a Commander game, an opponent uses Frankie Peanuts and asks me if I will kill X creature that another opponent has out before combat so that he can attack. I answer yes and then cast my removal spell and he casts Lapse of Certainty countering my spell, making it so that I lied. The other players declared that I failed to meet the game state and automatically lost, if this right?

No, you attempted to meet the requirements to the best of your ability. You did not lie. As the Un-Rules Manager, I will state for the record that you should not have lost. From the Unhinged FAQ: What happens if you give an answer and then something happens that keeps you from doing what you said? Note the words “if able” in the ability. You have to abide by the answer if able.

Cast Commander Creatures Frankie Peanuts Lapse of Certainty Rules The FAQ Unhinged

Guttural Response Debate

So you think guttural response was a mistake...*sigh*, as if it's a crime to have counterspells in a secondary color. You keep saying "they're in white, counterspells are secondary in white"; Well Mark, typically when one says something is secondary, that means there's more than 0 cards falling under that definition. (Im)patiently waiting...

Lapse of Certainty, Dawn Charm, Rebuff the Wicked. Mana Tithe was in Planar Chaos but I think we could do it in a normal set. There’s not a lot of them, but white does dabble a little (aka greater than 0.)

Colors Dawn Charm Guttural Response Lapse of Certainty Mana Mana Tithe Planar Chaos Rebuff the Wicked Secondary White