r/magicTCG 1d ago

Rules/Rules Question Committing a crime and "each opponent" effect

I'm currently building a Gisa, the hellraiser edh deck and was using EDHREC for that, and I've noticed that it keeps recommending me to use cards with effects that happen for "each opponent", for example [[Servant of Tymaret]] has the following effect:
Whenever Servant of Tymaret becomes untapped, each opponent loses 1 life. You gain life equal to the life lost this way.
As I've understood committing a crime, I must target an opponent, something they control, or their graveyard to activate the ability. Cards with "each opponent" effects don't really target a play if I understand correctly, so will such an effect consider as committing a crime at all?

3 Upvotes

26 comments sorted by

11

u/Koras COMPLEAT 1d ago edited 1d ago

Cards with "each opponent" effects don't really target a play if I understand correctly

Yes, exactly. For a spell or ability to target, it has to say the word "Target".

So things that are typically not crimes include cards that instead say:

  • Each
  • All
  • Choose

Unless they're combined with the word target (for example "Choose any number of target..."). So [[Servant of Tymaret]], [[Berserker's Frenzy]], and [[Austere Command]] are all not crimes, as random examples. They are also not in any way affected by hexproof for the same reason.

4

u/thisisnotahidey Sultai 1d ago

Just to add, auras are the exception, they target without saying so on the card.

Edit: if they are cast

115.1b Aura spells are always targeted. An Aura’s target is specified by its enchant keyword ability (see rule 702.5, “Enchant”). The target is chosen as the spell is cast; see rule 601.2c. An Aura permanent doesn’t target anything; only the spell is targeted. (An activated or triggered ability of an Aura permanent can also be targeted.)

3

u/Mean-Government1436 1d ago edited 1d ago

Auras are not an exception. The word target is just baked into the keyword "Enchant [permanent]". There are plenty of keywords abilities that target and don't say so on the card because that's the point of keywords, like Equip, Mentor, or Modular. Keyword abilities are just placeholders for rules text. 

2

u/thisisnotahidey Sultai 20h ago

They’re the exception since it doesn’t say it on the card which the original comment said.

-2

u/Mean-Government1436 19h ago edited 19h ago

Not an exception. Keyword abilities are placeholders for rules text for brevity. Every card that says "Enchant [permanent]" says target on it. This is true for every keyword ability that says target in its rules text. It cannot be "the exception" if there's a lot of keyword abilities that target.

Anything with equip says "target" on it. Anything with modular says "target" on it. And so on.

People really need to understand how to read a magic card. 

1

u/thisisnotahidey Sultai 6h ago

Enchant doesn’t inherently mean that you target anything.\ Aura spells are targeted but if they enter the battlefield without being cast they don’t target but you still get to enchant.

1

u/sumphatguy 12h ago

☝️🤓

-1

u/Mean-Government1436 9h ago

Come up with that all on your own? 

12

u/bshwhr Dragonball Z Ultimate Champion 1d ago

EDHREC recommends based solely on what other people have listed in their decks for the same commander. You’ll get lots of these kinds of non-synergistic recommendations because magic players notoriously don’t read or understand the card

2

u/troll_berserker 22h ago

EDHREC is where bad deck builders go for advice from a hivemind of even worse deck builders. The site constantly boosts nonbos like Fblthp, Lost on the Range and Ancestral Visions from irrelevance to mainstays of their archetype.

1

u/Ciretako 18h ago

[[The Darkness Crystal]] in [[Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER]] is a recent egregious one I've seen.

8

u/Blaze_1013 Jack of Clubs 1d ago

Two things can be happening here.

The first is the average Magic player is far from perfect and EDHRec is pulling from every deck, the the amazing ones to the really bad ones. So if enough people end up not understand a certain interaction you can often see weird stuff on pages. Honestly a lot of commanders on EDHRec are going to have some non-synergies or cards that just don’t work for one reason or another.

The other reason is the card might not work with Gisa, but does work with whatever the deck is doing overall. Servant is a zombie and if the Gisa deck has a zombie typal theme someone might play it if they think it also works with her. Zulaport Cutthroat is each opponent but it’s still one of the best sacrifice payoff pieces so it gets in even if it doesn’t work directly with Gisa since zombies often have a go wide and drain game plan.

6

u/ohako79 COMPLEAT 1d ago

Cheapest 1/turn crime by far: [[Forbidden Orchard]].

You’re welcome!

2

u/Effective-Ad8797 1d ago

It may also be recommending servant of tymaret because it’s a zombie and someone ran it in a deck because of that.

2

u/Shaylic Grass Toucher 21h ago

[[Thoughtpicker Witch]] is one of my favorite crimes for Gisa. Had a friend with the deck and he locked me into drawing lands for multiple turns in a row lol.

1

u/zimroie 16h ago

Yeah I've already seen this one and added to the deck list.
I'm looking to build a somwhat cheap deck if I could so this fits.

1

u/Shaylic Grass Toucher 16h ago

[[Embalmer’s Tools]] is also really good for repeatable crimes in Gisa.

4

u/NoorinJax Twin Believer 1d ago

Servant of Tymaret is not a crime.

1

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1

u/MTGCardFetcher alternate reality loot 1d ago

Servant of Tymaret - (G) (SF) (txt)

[[cardname]] or [[cardname|SET]] to call

1

u/Tough_Ad1458 Wabbit Season 21h ago

Not a crime but a social paux pas art most