Does it trigger specific effects when you untap an untapped minion?
Example: I burn the counters (there are enough of them) on a "Temptation" on an untapped vampire with "Vampiric Disease". Does the vampire have to burn a blood?
> Temptation, wrote:
> During your minion phase, if the number of counters on this card equals or exceeds the amount of blood on this vampire, you may burn the counters to untap this vampire and take control of him or her until the end of the turn.
>
> Non-existant user wrote:
> When an afflicted vampire untaps, he or she burns a blood or, if unable, burns the disease counter.
>
Thanks in advance!
National Coordinator Germany nc [dot] germany [at] magenta [dot] de
> Hakuron wrote:
> Does it trigger specific effects when you untap an untapped minion?
>
> Example: I burn the counters (there are enough of them) on a "Temptation" on an untapped vampire with "Vampiric Disease". Does the vampire have to burn a blood?
>
> > Temptation, wrote:
> > During your minion phase, if the number of counters on this card equals or exceeds the amount of blood on this vampire, you may burn the counters to untap this vampire and take control of him or her until the end of the turn.
> >
> > Non-existant user wrote:
> > When an afflicted vampire untaps, he or she burns a blood or, if unable, burns the disease counter.
> >
> Thanks in advance!
>
No, its state doesn't change. Same thing with tap: if you tap a tapped vampire, it doesn't "become tapped"
Prince of Paris, France
Ratings Coordinator, Rules Director
> Ankha wrote:
> No, its state doesn't change. Same thing with tap: if you tap a tapped vampire, it doesn't "become tapped"
>
This is a very bad argument.
Vampiric disease doesnt care about a change in state. Nowhere does vampiric disease require the vampire to "become untapped"
You can tap a tapped minion. ref
Following the same logic: Your untapped vampire can untap.
Untap: Verb (X untaps, untap this X, ... describes the act of untapping)
Untapped: Adjective (Take control of a ready untapped minion... describes the position of the vampire Horizontal/Vertical)
Both cards reference the act of untapping and do not care about the change of state.
Vampiric disease cardtext "When an afflicted vampire untaps" VERB
>
> Vampiric Disease
> Master
> Put a disease counter on any vampire. Each time a vampire with a disease counter is in combat at close range with another vampire, the second vampire gets a counter as well. An afflicted vampire cannot gain blood by hunting. When an afflicted vampire untaps, he or she burns a blood or, if unable, burns the disease counter. A vampire can have only one disease counter.
>
Temptation cardtext "Untap this Vampire". VERB
>
> Temptation
> [Action] Action
> [Serpentis] Serpentis
> [1 Blood]
> [ser] Put this card on a ready vampire; you still control this card. During your master phase, you may put a counter on this card. During your minion phase, if the number of counters on this card equals or exceeds the amount of blood on this vampire, you may burn the counters to untap this vampire and take control of him or her until the end of the turn.
> [SER] As above, and add a counter when you play this card.
>
Your untapped vampire untaps (even though it is untapped already, it still untaps, just as a tapped vampire can be tapped VERB by an action) and triggers vampiric disease.
Examples of "Untapped/tapped" used as an adjective to turn the state of the minion into a qualifier for the action:
>
> Spirit Marionette
> [OBE] +1 stealth action. Take control of a ready untapped minion until the end of the next action. That minion must bleed your prey unless he or she must hunt.
>
> Forced Awakening
> Only usable by a tapped vampire.
>
Examples of tapping/untapping as a verb, usuable on targets that are already tapped/untapped correspondingly.
> Temptation
> [ser] During your minion phase, if the number of counters on this card equals or exceeds the amount of blood on this vampire, you may burn the counters to untap this vampire and take control of him or her until the end of the turn.
>
> Revelation of Ecstasy
> [ser] Tap one of your prey's ready minions.
>
Examples of verb mixed with adjective to make a qualifier for the action.
>
> Art's Traumatic Essence
> [aus] Tap any untapped minion.
>
Note that without the adjective as qualifier a tapped minion could be tapped.
>
> Guard Dogs
> Only usable by a tapped vampire when you are being bled.
> [ani] Untap this reacting vampire.
>
Note that without the first clause an untapped vampire could play this to untap.
I'm not really sure I get the grammar issues being brought up here, with verbs and adjectives dictating whether effects should trigger. I think what you're getting at is that because you are technically untapping the untapped minion, effects should occur as normal even if the card is not changing from horizontal to vertical orientation. That this is not the case is a classic example of VTES picking spots where to insert "conventional" logic. It is "unconventional" logic to be allowed to untap an untapped minion. However, it is conventional logic to assume that untapping an untapped minion will not trigger any effect. This mixing of conventional and unconventional logic is one of the many reasons why VTES is so very difficult to learn. "I am untapping this minion that is already untapped, which is allowed, but because the minion is already untapped, no effect occurs." What a mess.
To quote LSJ:
"No.
As per that thread, effects which occur when a vampire untaps occur
when the vampire changes from a tapped state to an untapped one.
Untapping an untapped vampire has no effect."
groups.google.com/d/msg/rec.games.trading-cards.jyhad/4LXlqwmGQGc/S8aQ4et5KMIJ
Also, from the rulebook:
Tap: Turn (a card) sideways. Typically done to indicate that the card has been activated for some purpose.
Untap: Restore a card to the normal, upright, position. See Tap.
If the card doesn't turn (because it's already turned sideways or upright), then it doesn't tap or untap per definition. It *stays* tapped or untapped.
If you tap a tapped card, nothing happens. If you need to tap a card *to* do something, it must be untapped otherwise the condition (tapping a card, that is turning it) isn't met.
There are similar effects doing nothing, such as inflicting 0 damage, bleeding for 0, or stealing 0 blood.
Prince of Paris, France
Ratings Coordinator, Rules Director
> TwoRazorReign wrote:
> That this is not the case is a classic example of VTES picking spots where to insert "conventional" logic. It is "unconventional" logic to be allowed to untap an untapped minion.
>
It's inconsistent logic. They change their definition of tap/untap to be able to justify these ruling.
Either you stick to the definition of tap from the rulebook and you cannot tap a tapped minion
If Tap and Untap are defined as follows:
>
> Ankha wrote:
> Tap: Turn (a card) sideways. Typically done to indicate that the card has been activated for some purpose.
> Untap: Restore a card to the normal, upright, position. See Tap.
>
> If the card doesn't turn (because it's already turned sideways or upright), then it doesn't tap or untap per definition. It *stays* tapped or untapped.
>
Then you cannot tap a tapped minion and you cannot untap an untapped minion. There is no action to be performed here. (You cannot close a closed door, you can only open it and then close it again as per the definition) Because the definition includes that the card has to change orientation.
In order to tap you have to turn from upright to sideways. Anything less than this does not constitute tapping according to the definition.
In order to untap you have to turn from sideways to upright. Anything less than this does not constitute untapping according to the definition.
Therefore you should not be able to tap a tapped minion if you cannot change the orientation there is no tapping to be performed. Impossible, you can't do it and shouldn't be able to do it. This is similar to trying to resque a ready vampire from torpor.
Or you agree with the ruling that you can tap a tapped minion
It is ruled you can tap a tapped minion & untap an untapped one.
The ruling that you can tap a tapped minion implies that you don't need to change the orientation of the card in order to be able to execute "tap" and "untap"
Which makes the definition mean as much as:
>
> Tap: to position a card sideways
> Untap: to position a card upright
>
This definition doesn't state that the original position has to differ from the new position.
Therefore this definition allows you to Tap a tapped minion. You simply place it sideways again. And Untap an untapped minion. You simply place it upright again.
(if resque form torpor would mean: place a minion into his controllers ready region. you could "resque from torpor" a ready minion. BUT Resque from torpor is defined by the change of state: Has to go from torpor to ready. Yet I see no one rule you can resque a ready vampire as you could tap a tapped minion)
If you can untap an untapped minion (verb) this means you trigger any card that waits for the action "Untap" to be performed on it. If Untap means Change the orientation from sideways to upright: You cannot untap an untapped minion and therefore you cannot gain the trigger. If untap means repositioning the card upright you can untap an untapped minion and therefore you gain the trigger.
You explained this yourself very clearly ankha, follow your own reaoning and you will see it breaks it's own logic.
You're mixing up two things:
- things that does nothing (eg. tapping a tapped vampire, stealing blood from a vampire with no blood)
- things that are forbidden by the rules.
Tapping a tapped card is not forbidden (unless the effect asks to "tap an untapped X"); however, it does nothing.
In details:
> 2wayspeaker wrote:
> Either you stick to the definition of tap from the rulebook and you cannot tap a tapped minion
> If Tap and Untap are defined as follows:
> >
> > Ankha wrote:
> > Tap: Turn (a card) sideways. Typically done to indicate that the card has been activated for some purpose.
> > Untap: Restore a card to the normal, upright, position. See Tap.
> >
> > If the card doesn't turn (because it's already turned sideways or upright), then it doesn't tap or untap per definition. It *stays* tapped or untapped.
> >
> Then you cannot tap a tapped minion and you cannot untap an untapped minion. There is no action to be performed here. (You cannot close a closed door, you can only open it and then close it again as per the definition) Because the definition includes that the card has to change orientation.
>
A tapped card can't be tapped (mecanically; as you said, you can't close a closed door). However, you can choose to tap a tapped card: nothing happens.
> 2wayspeaker wrote:
> In order to tap you have to turn from upright to sideways. Anything less than this does not constitute tapping according to the definition.
> In order to untap you have to turn from sideways to upright. Anything less than this does not constitute untapping according to the definition.
>
Correct.
> 2wayspeaker wrote:
> Therefore you should not be able to tap a tapped minion if you cannot change the orientation there is no tapping to be performed.
>
If the effect doesn't state that the target must be an untapped minion, you can play a "tap" effect on it. That part will do nothing, though.
It's the same as stealing blood from a vampire that doesn't have blood.
> 2wayspeaker wrote:
> Impossible, you can't do it and shouldn't be able to do it. This is similar to trying to resque a ready vampire from torpor.
>
It's not similar, as you can rescue from torpor only vampires in torpor, per rules (6.5.3. Rescue a Vampire from Torpor)
> 2wayspeaker wrote:
> Or you agree with the ruling that you can tap a tapped minion
> <snip>
>
The rest is moot.
Prince of Paris, France
Ratings Coordinator, Rules Director
Here's a list of other things that are legal to do but have no effect (or a partial effect):
- dealing damage to a minion that is immune to damage (Talbot Chainsaw / Ponticulus, or Abyssal Hunter / Carolina Vasquéz)
- playing a Villein on a vampire with 0 blood
- playing a Villein on a vampire with 1 blood (drains as much as possible, that is 1 blood)
- playing a frenzy card against Gotsdam, the Tired Warrior (but not against Aleister Crowley)
Prince of Paris, France
Ratings Coordinator, Rules Director