"CountDown" house rules for multiplayer EDH
Disadvantage "each opponent" effects
Spells and abilities
Spells, activated or triggered abilities that:
- effect only multiple opponents (e.g. Agent of Masks, Wheel and Deal)
- AND is only able to target opponents permanents or effects (e.g. Planeswalker or Creatures) (e.g. Decoy Gambit)
- AND have no additional cost to choose multiple targets (e.g. Call the Coppercoats, Fireball)
OR
- seperating the players into multiple categories, like friend and foe (e.g. Pir's Whim)
will only effect one opponent.
The controller can choose to pay {1} (generic) additional mana for each other opponent after the first one to effect all of them. The controller can decide which is the initial effected opponent, if not paying the additional cost.
Example: In a Three-Headed-Giant game, a player plays Windgrace's Judgment. Than he can decide to destroy one permanent of an opponent or pays two additional (generic) mana to destroy 3 nonland permanents.
State-based effects
When a state-based effect that only effects opponents (e.g. God-Pharaoh's Statue) begin to take effect, the source controller choose one opponent that will be effected.
Example: The effect of Grand Arbiter Augustin IV "Spells your opponents cast cost {1} more to cast." will only effect one opponent.
Opponent individually triggered abilities
All triggered abilities that trigger separately whenever an opponent or a permanent that opponent controls fullfills a condition the rule State-based effects applies.
Example: The trigger of Smothering Tithe will only trigger for the chosen opponent.
Example: During resolution of Punishing Fire the owner of the spell chooses an opponent, who has to gain life in order to trigger its graveyard effect.
Phase and turn manipulation
All effects that manipulate phases or turns of only one team, such as extra turns, apply only to the player controlling the effect or to the target of the effect, not to the entire team.
Example: Activating the card Mindslaver will only control the turn of one player. The player will be choosen by the ability controller.
Example: Playing the card Time Stop will still end the turn for all players of the active team.
Determine life points of a player
Life points of a player from a team are equal to the current life points of the team divided by the number of players in the team, rounded up.
Example: In a two-headed-Giant game, a player of a team that has 17 life points becomes the target of a Beacon of Immortality that reads, among other things, "Double target player's life total." This player gains 9 life points, so that the team ends up with 26 life points.
Example: In a Two-Headed-Giant game, one player controls Test of Endurance, an enchantment that reads "At the beginning of your upkeep, if you have 50 or more life, you win the game." If his team's health is 100 or more, his team wins the game.
Example: In a Two-Headed-Giant game, a player of a team that has 25 life points becomes the target of an ability that reads: "The life score of target player becomes 10." That player's life score is considered to be 13, so that the player loses 3 life points. The team ends up with 22 life points.
Put Commander into library
If an effect is putting a Commander card into its owners library, the owner has NOT the option to put it into the Commander Zone.
Example: Terminus is played. If a Commander is on the battlefield, it's put on the bottom of the library aswell.
Example: Chaos Warp targets a Commander. The card is shuffled into the library.