AEther Vial & some creature in hand cause hang

[FranAvalon]

When AEther Vial has one less counter than the CMC cost of a creature card in hand (that gives activated abilities to other creatures including themselves) game hangup or crash occurs when computer starts thinking in its next turn.

Not all creature cards like that cause this behavior. These cards cause this issue:

Hibernation Sliver http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/ ... eid=207907 [^]
Resplendent Mentor http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/ ... eid=141930 [^]
Armor Sliver http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/ ... eid=207898 [^]
Acidic Sliver http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/ ... eid=207897 [^]

These cards are working ok:

Sporoloth Ancient http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/ ... eid=130323 [^]
Citanul Hierophants http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/ ... rseid=5724 [^]
Sachi, Daughter of Seshiro http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/ ... seid=80254 [^]

This issue is present in both 1.23.1 and 1.24.X Revision 2772.

Steps to reproduce with test decks:
Start first, no mulligan.
Keep playing lands, play AEther Vial, resolve its ability and put charge counters on it.

At one point (when the number of counters are one less than the CMC of the creature in hand) next time computer gets the turn and starts thinking game either freezes or crashes.


AEther Vial http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/ ... eid=212630 [^]

As a side note another card with freecast ability, Elvish Piper, caused same issue in 1.23.1. But in 1.24.X revision 2772 (where dinghammer's Elvish Piper fix for "may" ability is fixed) this card works ok with regards to this issue.

Elvish Piper http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/ ... eid=191317 [^]

PS: Although Elvish Piper fix corrects the problem with "may" part of its freecasting ability, it made "All Actions" mandatory to use it. AEther Vial's similar "may" freecast on the other hand was/is already working as expected in 1.23.1 and 1.24.X and "All Actions" is not necessary for it. But it keeps causing this issue.

Attached file includes log file and test decks.


Notes
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(0000674)
dinghammer
2010-12-18 21:20
This is interesting. The only thing I see that the 4 cards that cause the crash have in common is that the abilities they grant all change something's life in some way. Two pump life, one deals damage, and one has a life cost in its activation.

Does Spectral Sliver cause this too? Cautery Sliver? Darkheart Sliver? Necrotic Sliver? Poultice Sliver? Victual Sliver? Barbed Sliver?

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(0000676)
Hector
2010-12-18 21:48
All these are causing same issue:
Spectral Sliver, 3CMC with 2 counters
Cautery Sliver, 2CMC with 1 counter
Darkheart Sliver, 2CMC with 1 counter
Poultice Sliver, 3CMC with 2 counters
Victual Sliver, 2CMC with 1 counter
Barbed Sliver, 3CMC with 2 counters

Necrotic Sliver is ok.

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(0000677)
dinghammer
2010-12-18 21:56
Well, Barbed Sliver and Poultice Sliver show that my life idea is wrong.

I have no idea what's going on.

I hope someone else can figure this out. At least we have a decent amount of data.

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(0000681)
Hector
2010-12-19 21:58
I think the issue is not about freecasting but the creatures themselves, because I get crashes with this simple deck for computer right at the first turn:

===================
#NOSHUFFLE
#NO_CARD_LIMIT

60 Island
Swamp
Hibernation Sliver
===================

Tested and got crash with Armor Sliver too. I have not tested all the other ones.

Tested with 1.24.X Revision 2796.

PS: Now that dinghammer fixed Sporoloth Ancient bug ( http://deckbotarena.net/mantisbt/view.php?id=585 [^] ) to give the ability to other creatures, maybe it will cause a crash too.

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(0000682)
FranAvalon
2010-12-20 02:14
No problems with Sporoloth Ancient, but confirmed yours

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(0000683)
Hector
2010-12-20 03:58
FranAvalon: How many turns have you played with fixed Sporoloth Ancient? The crash happens when computer has 1 less land than necessary to cast the offending card. With Armor Sliver(3 CMC) and one extra Plains in hand crash happens at turn 2. So for Sporoloth Ancient(5 CMC) it would be turn 4 I guess.

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(0000684)
FranAvalon
2010-12-20 15:53
(edited on: 2010-12-20 15:54)
AI hard casted Sporoloth Ancient, and I didn't got a crash.

I tried it using only lands, and with black lotus.