Pro Tour Barcelona 2012

So, R&D has had lengthy discussions about Cavern of Souls. The card's templating is unique; there hasn't ever been a card before that has two invisible effects that have such different implications for the game state, and that wasn't anticipated before release. Given the problems that it causes, I suspect it'll be the last to use this template.

In the end, the original designer intent of the card was that it always applied when you cast a spell with the appropriate type, whether you had actually remembered to activate it properly or not. Because of this, they've asked us to reconsider the ruling that you need to announce Cavern of Souls if you want the spell to be counterable.

We're sympathetic to their desires and, as I said in the previous mail, there were arguments to be made for both sides, even if philosophy supported the original interpretation better. As a result, we're reversing the ruling. If a Cavern of Souls gets tapped for the appropriate creature type, the spell is uncounterable whether they say anything or not. We'd still prefer that players be clear about the game state, of course.

There'll probably be a bunch of confusion about this initially. We did a good job (I think) of getting the word out the first time around, so it'll take a while to educate everyone about the reverse. I'd strongly encourage everyone to make reminder announcements at their events for the next few. I know I will be at the start of GP:Anaheim!

Unique and messy cards are, fortunately, few and far between, and tournament-playable ones are rarer still. Apologies for the confusion, and hopefully this uses up the allocation for the next several years!

If you control Cavern of Souls, and you cast a creature spell of the chosen type, the presumption is that you activated the second ability. The spell can't be countered. As the controller of Cavern of Souls, it is your responsibility to make sure the card is clearly visible (no stacking under other lands, your elbows, etc.). You don't have to expressly say anything when casting the creature spell, but your opponent has the right to ask you to clarify your actions at any time. If you control more than one Cavern of Souls, it is your responsibility to make sure it is clear what creature types you have named for each of them. If, for whatever reason, you want to activate Cavern of Soul's first ability and leave your creature spell vulnerable to counter Magic, you must explicitly say this as you cast the spell. If you're going to an event in the near future and you have further questions, please make sure to ask the judge staff at that event.