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7 months ago ::
Nov 13, 2012 - 7:53AM
#1
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Back when I used to play, everyone in my group used tapping stones. So this last weekend, I go to the card shop and play a game or two. Everyone's turning the cards to the side to tap them. I do it too, until I get too annoyed at the cards sliding around on the table; I reach over into my dice bag, and pull out the old tapping stones (colored glass pebbles), set them on the table above my stack of land.
"What are those?" asks my opponent.
"Tapping stones," I explain, and demonstrate, moving the tapping stones down the land stack, one card per tapped land. "You okay with me using them?"
"I've... never seen those before. Sure." One or two other people look on with curiosity. I did notice nobody else in the shop uses them at all.
Does anybody play with them? Was it just a local thing, or did everyone stop using them at some point a few years back? I can understand not allowing them in tournaments- they can make it tougher to see how much land each player has untapped. But I find it just makes untapping things so much faster and easier.
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7 months ago ::
Nov 13, 2012 - 7:55AM
#2
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Date Joined:
Aug 11, 2011
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I've never heard of them, but that's just me. I'd think, though, that they'd get a little confusing if you're running a deck that has other ways to put counters onto cards.
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7 months ago ::
Nov 13, 2012 - 8:00AM
#3
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Possibly- I think there weren't as many sources of counters when I used to play. Generally, creatures get physically tapped, tapping stones are for lands. Counters on creatures are dice.
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7 months ago ::
Nov 13, 2012 - 8:02AM
#4
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Date Joined:
Aug 11, 2011
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It seems to me that most of the counters way back were to denote color changes and not boosts.
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7 months ago ::
Nov 13, 2012 - 8:20AM
#5
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Date Joined:
Jul 13, 2008
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You're not crazy this was absolutely standard back in the day. No self-respecting Magic player would show up to the cardshop without the tapping stones. If you turned your cards sideways it was sort of frowned upon and eyebrows were definitely raised. I went on hiatus for many years and after I returned I noticed that these phased out as well.
We should bring them back!
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7 months ago ::
Nov 13, 2012 - 8:42AM
#6
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Just did some reading up on official tournament rules. Section 3.8 allows markers... but section 3.13 states that permanents must be physically rotated if they're tapped or flipped, so that would preclude the use of tapping stones. I don't know if this is a change from previous rules, or when it happened, the tournament rules only have revisions made from the last two versions listed. I'll see if I can do some digging, just for personal curiosity.
I assume it was done for the reason I mentioned above- it can potentially be confusing if tapping stones are used instead of physically tapping the card. And that was likely why they were phased out of casual use as well; if you're used to playing with them, it's disconcerting to not have them anymore when you're at a tournament.
Still, I agree- we should try and bring them back. They're much faster, and less strain on the wrist, too.
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7 months ago ::
Nov 13, 2012 - 8:46AM
#7
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Date Joined:
Jul 28, 2010
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as long as both players are clear about the gamestate you can basically do whatever you want
the tournament rules just mention conventions, so it can be done without much explaining and so that there is a default to fall back to
if you want to use the tapping stone ask your opponent
if he agrees you can use it
proud member of the 2011 community team
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7 months ago ::
Nov 13, 2012 - 2:25PM
#8
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Date Joined:
Aug 11, 2011
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I've found more success at stacking lands of the same type in a row (kinda like enchanting) and untapping an entire stack at a time, but whatever works for you 
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7 months ago ::
Nov 13, 2012 - 3:02PM
#9
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I've found more success at stacking lands of the same type in a row (kinda like enchanting) and untapping an entire stack at a time, but whatever works for you
For multicolor decks, I'd be pulling lands out of those rows constantly as I cast spells. Plus I don't have a play mat, so the cards tend to slide a bit on the table whenever I move them. If I'm playing more than one color, I definately prefer tapping stones. And they can double as whatever unique counter I may need, in a pinch. Besides, for the nervous types, they clink together with a much more pleasing sound than card riffling. Plus, -ooo- shiny!
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7 months ago ::
Nov 13, 2012 - 9:27PM
#10
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Date Joined:
Oct 27, 2007
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I realize this is subjective, but I really like to see both land and creatures to be tapped clearly and by something reasonably close to 90°. Stones for me means counters. I would definitely not like to see the same stones used both to indicate tapping and to be used as counters at the same time.
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