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4 years ago ::
Mar 31, 2009 - 8:43PM
#1
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Date Joined:
Dec 18, 2007
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I was wondering if there are any ways to cause a divide by zero error in magic. If so, what would happen? Aside from the obvious...
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4 years ago ::
Mar 31, 2009 - 8:46PM
#2
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Date Joined:
Jul 22, 2003
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Nothing too exciting... as an undefined quantity, the result would be treated as zero.
104.2. If anything needs to use a number that can't be determined, either as a result or in a calculation, it uses 0 instead.
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4 years ago ::
Mar 31, 2009 - 8:50PM
#3
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Date Joined:
Oct 25, 2008
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I guess you could make the 3s in Pox  0s with multiple Look At Me, I'm R&D  , but Un-sets aren't covered by regular rules, so I have no idea what would happen. The universe would probably collapse.
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4 years ago ::
Mar 31, 2009 - 9:03PM
#4
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Date Joined:
Feb 28, 2005
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When playing Fireball  , it's possible to choose zero target creatures ("any number" includes zero). You're thus dividing X damage (X can still be nonzero if you just like wasting mana) among zero target creatures. Nothing special happens even though Fireball will try to deal X / 0 = {undefined} damage to each target, since you don't have any actual targets to deal {undefined} damage to anyway.
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4 years ago ::
Apr 01, 2009 - 12:21AM
#5
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Date Joined:
Aug 15, 2008
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When playing Fireball , it's possible to choose zero target creatures ("any number" includes zero). You're thus dividing X damage (X can still be nonzero if you just like wasting mana) among zero target creatures. Nothing special happens even though Fireball will try to deal X / 0 = {undefined} damage to each target, since you don't have any actual targets to deal {undefined} damage to anyway.
...I don't think that works. "Any number of targets" implies you need at least one.
Besides, if you choose 0, you have no targets...and the spell requires them, therefore you can't legally play the spell.
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4 years ago ::
Apr 01, 2009 - 12:37AM
#6
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Date Joined:
Dec 14, 2007
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I guess if you play Dwarven Catapult  when your opponent has no creatures? I think I know what would happen. Namely, nothing would happen...
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4 years ago ::
Apr 01, 2009 - 2:02AM
#7
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Date Joined:
Aug 13, 2001
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...I don't think that works. "Any number of targets" implies you need at least one.
It "implies" nothing of the sort, and says the opposite straight out. "Any number" means "any number", not something else.
Besides, if you choose 0, you have no targets...and the spell requires them, therefore you can't legally play the spell.
A spell can't be played without naming a full complement of legal targets, but I don't see how you conclude from that that a zero-target Fireball is unplayable (any more than a Wrath or any other spell with no targets). A spell requires the number of targets it says it requires, not some other number.
Jeff Heikkinen
DCI Rules Advisor since Dec 25, 2011
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4 years ago ::
Apr 01, 2009 - 7:17AM
#8
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ii
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4 years ago ::
Apr 01, 2009 - 7:18AM
#9
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It "implies" nothing of the sort, and says the opposite straight out. "Any number" means "any number", not something else.
A spell can't be played without naming a full complement of legal targets, but I don't see how you conclude from that that a zero-target Fireball is unplayable (any more than a Wrath or any other spell with no targets). A spell requires the number of targets it says it requires, not some other number.
Are you serious. If the spell says target anywhere it needs at least 1 target, therefore you really can't play a fireball for 0 with no target/s. You can play a fireball for 0 all day long. You have to have at least one target to even announce it. Am I going crazy here?
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4 years ago ::
Apr 01, 2009 - 7:27AM
#10
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Date Joined:
Jun 19, 2008
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Are you serious. If the spell says target anywhere it needs at least 1 target, therefore you really can't play a fireball for 0 with no target/s. You can play a fireball for 0 all day long. You have to have at least one target to even announce it. Am I going crazy here?
We are serious. Look at Tezzeret the Seeker  and the appropriate ruling:
10/1/2008 The first ability can target zero, one, or two artifacts. You may play it with no targets just to put a loyalty counter on Tezzeret.
The matter at hand is quite similar. "Any number of targets" means exactly that. Any number. That number may be zero.
DCI L2 Judge "When nothing remains, everything is equally possible." - One With Nothing 
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