When is a swamp not a swamp?

[Jaedayr]

This may not be a problem, but something does not feel right about it. When my Cyclopean Giant was put into the graveyard it targeted the AI Razorverge Thicket. The giant got exiled, the thicket says it is a Swamp and can now be tapped for G, W or B mana. Then in the same game I played Evil Presence on AI Plains and it is a Swamp but can only be tapped for B. Are both of these correct? One says "becomes a Swamp" the other says "is a Swamp". Is there a difference between Land and Basic Land?

[friarsol]

Most likely the Cyclopean Giant is missing the OverrideTypes variable that would make the original issue interact correctly.

[Jaedayr]

Most likely the Cyclopean Giant is missing the OverrideTypes variable that would make the original issue interact correctly.

Here is the card text. So the affected land should lose the ability to generate anything but B mana?

Code: Select all

Name:Cyclopean Giant
ManaCost:2 B B
Types:Creature Zombie Giant
Text:no text
PT:4/2
T:Mode$ ChangesZone | ValidCard$ Card.Self | Origin$ Battlefield | Destination$ Graveyard | Execute$ TrigAnimate | TriggerDescription$ When CARDNAME is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, target land becomes a Swamp. Exile CARDNAME.
SVar:TrigAnimate:AB$ Animate | Cost$ 0 | ValidTgts$ Land | TgtPrompt$ Select target land | Types$ Swamp | OverwriteTypes$ True | KeepSupertypes$ True | KeepCardTypes$ True | Permanent$ True | SubAbility$ DBExile | SpellDescription$ Target land becomes a Swamp.
SVar:DBExile:DB$ChangeZone | Defined$ Self | Origin$ Graveyard | Destination$ Exile
SVar:Rarity:Common
SVar:Picture:http://www.wizards.com/global/images/magic/general/cyclopean_giant.jpg
SetInfo:TSP|Common|http://magiccards.info/scans/en/ts/100.jpg
Oracle:When Cyclopean Giant dies, target land becomes a Swamp. Exile Cyclopean Giant.
End

[slapshot5]

Hmm. That looks right to me. I'll take a look.

-slapshot5

[slapshot5]

Ahh. I get it. The Abilities are actually written on Razorverge Thicket. Cyclopean Giant probably needs "RemoveAllAbilities$ True".

-slapshot5

[silly freak]

If an effect sets a land's subtype to one or more of the basic land types, the land no longer has its old land type. It loses all abilities generated from its rules text and its old land types, and it gains the appropriate mana ability for each new basic land type. Note that this doesn't remove any abilities that were granted to the land by other effects. Setting a land's subtype doesn't add or remove any card types (such as creature) or supertypes (such as basic, legendary, and snow) the land may have. If a land gains one or more land types in addition to its own, it keeps its land types and rules text, and it gains the new land types and mana abilities.

Basically "is/becomes a <<basic land>>" removes both land types and printed abilities; "... in addition ..." doesn't. Good to know, I didn't think so before...