3 Card Blind Puzzle - Guru Goof Ups

[@kingpoolosdos]

The answer to “why is tabernacle like that?” is a combination of 1997-2000 errata norms and 2007-2012 errata norms. In early Magic, errata was used to make cards play more intuitively and tried to standardize wordings even if it was a functional change. Partially related, it was also often used to adjust the power level of cards. In the 2000s, they rolled back a lot of power level errata in favor of banning problematic cards instead. Around the same time, a bunch of Oracle text that didn't match the printed text was reverted back. Notable exceptions to these rollbacks included cards from Masters editions on MTGO because their "printed" text had functional programming behind it. So while Phyrexian Dreadnaught changed back from a replacement effect to an CiP, Tabernacle didn't change. Around the same time, Magus of the Tabernacle is printed with the sacrifice wording further contributing the Mandela effect. It wouldn't be till years later and another rules manager to notice that's not how Tabernacle worked when it was first printed. I can't find the exact rules update because Wizards clears away old content with surprising regularity, but 2012 is about when it changed back.

[@MTG3CardBlind]

Thanks for sharing this background information on the card's history!

[@juanbelio2057]

Besides the tabernacle trick, I am actually glad that I got both the first and the third one right! It's such an interesting puzzle environment

[@MTG3CardBlind]

The Tabernacle trick is a bit of a dirty one, but it has repeatedly come up for judging the main event tournament

[@AurebeshX]

That Tabernacle text change is brutal.

[@Nitrox_Costa_]

The tabernacle trick is actually quite known to the legacy community since both the tabernacle and dark depths are part a deck known as "lands" that has been in the format for a lot of time

[@HS_Gomikubi]

The dumbest part about the second puzzle (maybe I'm the dummy here, but I feel pretty confident in saying this) is that even if the game were to take place during the time period where Tabernacle's errata altered it's functionality to say sacrifice rather than destroy, the Dark Depths player would still be able to win anyway had they simply chosen Peat Bog over Ebon Stronghold as their means to cast Hexmage. The former seems to be far and away the superior land for this strategy, since I'd presume keeping the extra permanent in play and/or being able to produce BB a second time is considerably more valuable in the majority of scenarios this format has to offer than being able to pass turn with stronghold untapped for it's first mana ability. I mean, what could an opponent possibly present for you to do with that one mana that _matters enough_ to incentivize waiting over playing out your one turn kill combo?

[@jfb-]

urborg tomb of yawgmoth is also a better land than ebon stronghold same speed as peat bog though and in fact is weaker vs land destruction than peat bog

[@noegiussani3749]

Yes! Yes! Yes! Love this puzzles!

[@Zottelkopf115]

Why can't the vexing shusher player win ?

[@NovaCyn]

You have to keep all cards in hand in order to shut down the torture wheel. If you play your land an creature I workshop out the wheel of torture. You'll be taking two every turn cycle before you get to deal 2, so I'll win the race without committing the lupine to the board. If you blow up the wheel I'm now free to play my lupine, which can block your creature and stops the clock again

[@Rukalin]

It's a different kind of storage land but yeah, the point still stands@@NovaCyn

[@MTG3CardBlind]

@xxxgodhundxxx Quick correction here because Sandstone Needle is a depletion land, not a storage land, but your logic is correct. Wheel of Torture does damage during upkeep, so it will be hitting before the Vexing Shusher can attack and therefore will win the race.

[@LibertyMonk]

​@@NovaCynwell, the Lupine is also way bigger, so it can win the race instead of stopping the clock. But yeah, this is a situation where they can only wait out a draw.

[@timothye.2902]

once the Shusher player plays out any of their cards, they start taking damage from torture wheel, meaning they have to race the wheel to win. If they deploy land + shusher, the wheel deals 2 damage per turn, same as Shusher, but does it on the upkeep, not on damage step. Each of the shusher player's turns will involve them taking 2 damage and then later in the turn dealing 2 damage. They'll die on their upkeep before they can get the final hit in. Edit: plus the land comes into play tapped, so the susher player is even further behind in the race, since they'll take 1 damage on the turn they cast Shusher