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The Alara Reborn FAQs have now been posted on the WoTC product section. The direct link to the document is HERE. Please be kind to your Tournament Organiser / Judge before you head out to the Alara Reborn Pre-Release / Release Tourney and have a glance at this handy rules and reference guide.
Quick summary of contents . .
GENERAL NOTES
***Theme: All Multicolored***
***Keyword Ability: Cascade***
***Returning Keyword Ability: Cycling***
***Returning Keyword Ability: Landcycling***
***Cycle: Sojourners***
***Returning Mechanic: Hybrid***
***Cycle: Borderposts***
There is also a huge section on CARD-SPECIFIC NOTES - see the end of the post for which cards are addressed.
Right off the top, let's look at the new keyword ability 'Cascade'. Each time you play a spell with cascade, you'll get a free bonus spell from your deck . . . but you don't know what it'll be!
502.85. Cascade
502.85a Cascade is a triggered ability that functions only while the spell with cascade is on the stack. "Cascade" means "When you play this spell, remove cards from the top of your library from the game until you remove a nonland card whose converted mana cost is less than this spell's converted mana cost. You may play that card without paying its mana cost. Then put all cards removed from the game this way that weren't played on the bottom of your library in a random order." 502.85b If a spell has multiple instances of cascade, each triggers separately.
Here's the timing for cascade:
1) You play a spell with cascade.
2) The cascade ability triggers and goes on the stack on top of the original spell.
3) The cascade ability resolves. If you find an applicable card that you'd like to play, you do so.
4) The spell you played as a result of the cascade ability resolves.
5) The original spell resolves.
* For the most part, cascade is mandatory. You must remove cards from the top of your library from the game, even if you know that you won't remove anything you want to play. Whether or not to play the last card you remove is the only optional part.
* The spell you play as a result of the cascade ability resolves before the original spell. If you play a creature spell with cascade and then play an Aura as the result of the cascade ability, you can't enchant that creature with it because the creature spell hasn't resolved yet.
* Cascade won't trigger if you put a copy of a spell with cascade on the stack (due to Cloven Casting or Twincast, for example). That's because you didn't play the copy.
* Countering the original spell doesn't counter the cascade ability.
* Since cascade is a triggered ability, anything that interacts with a triggered ability (such as Stifle) will interact with cascade.
* All players can see the cards you remove from the game as the cascade ability resolves.
* If you remove a split card from the game this way, check if at least one half of that split card has a converted mana cost that's less than the converted mana cost of the spell with cascade. If so, you can play either half of that split card.
* If you play a card this way, you play it as part of the resolution of the cascade ability. Timing restrictions based on the card's type (such as creature or sorcery) are ignored. Other play restrictions are not (such as "Play [this card] only before attackers are declared").
* A spell played as part of the resolution of cascade is played from the removed-from-the-game zone, not from your library.
* If you play a card "without paying its mana cost," you can't pay any alternative costs, such as evoke or the alternative cost provided by the morph ability. If it has X in its mana cost, X must be 0. However, you can pay optional additional costs, such as conspire, and you must still pay mandatory additional costs, such as the one on Goldmeadow Stalwart.
* If you play a card this way, you're playing it as a spell. It can be countered. If you play another card with cascade this way, the new spell's cascade ability will trigger, and you'll repeat the process for the new spell.
* After you play an applicable card, you randomly rearrange the other cards removed from the game this way and put them on the bottom of your library. Neither you nor any other player sees the order of those cards.
* If you don't want to play the applicable card you remove from the game with the cascade ability, you don't have to. Include it with the other cards removed from the game this way when you randomly rearrange them and put them on the bottom of your library. The same is true for an applicable card that you can't play (because there are no legal targets, for example).
* If you play a spell with cascade and there are no nonland cards in your library with a converted mana cost that's less that that spell's converted mana cost, you'll remove your entire library from the game. Then you'll randomly rearrange those cards and put them back as your library. Although you're essentially shuffling those cards, you're not technically doing so; abilities that trigger whenever you shuffle your library won't trigger.
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There are numerous notes and explanations in the FAQ document for the following Alara Reborn cards :
Arsenal Thresher, Aven Mimeomancer, Behemoth Sledge, Blitz Hellion, Brainbite, Cloven Casting, Crystallization, Dauntless Escort, Deadshot Minotaur, Deathbringer Thoctar, Demonspine Whip, Double Negative, Dragon Appeasement, Dragon Broodmother, Drastic Revelation, Enigma Sphinx, Ethersworn Shieldmage, Etherwrought Page, Fight to the Death, Filigree Angel, Finest Hour, Flurry of Wings, Giant Ambush Beetle, Glory of Warfare, Grixis Sojourners, Illusory Demon, Intimidation Bolt, Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund, Kathari Bomber, Knight of New Alara, Knotvine Paladin, Lavalanche, Leonin Armorguard, Lich Lord of Unx, Lorescale Coatl, Madrush Cyclops, Maelstrom Nexus, Maelstrom Pulse, Mage Slayer, Mask of Riddles, Mayael's Aria, Meddling Mage, Mind Funeral, Morbid Bloom, Mycoid Shepherd, Necromancer's Covenant, Nemesis of Reason, Nulltread Gargantuan, Offering to Asha, Predatory Advantage, Retaliator Griffin, Sages of the Anima, Sen Triplets, Shield of the Righteous, Sigil Captain, Sigil of the Nayan Gods, Skyclaw Thrash, Slave of Bolas, Soul Manipulation, Sovereigns of Lost Alara, Spellbound Dragon, Spellbreaker Behemoth, Tainted Sigil, Thopter Foundry, Thought Hemorrhage, Thraximundar, Time Sieve, Unscythe, Killer of Kings, Vedalken Heretic, Vengeful Rebirth, Vithian Renegades, Wargate.
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