"an opponent" in solitaire play

[folding_music]

(Solitaire play in this case mostly involves creating decks which are puzzles to be stabilized; there's no opponents and the threats are usually presented by the player, to the player, eg. if the way to solve a deck is to get every permanent in play, and some of the permanents can damage you or deck you, then there's ways to lose not involving opponents. Not talking about Horde variants, etc.)

This probably isn't covered in the comp rules, just asking for a gut ruling here:

Rainbow Vale - can this be activated in a single player format?
Bargaining Table - can this be activated in a single player format?
Fervent Mastery- can this be cast "underkicked" in a single player format?
etc.

the weirdness comes from these things not saying target opponent, I think? But at the same time it presents different uses for cards I'd like to explore! Feel free to move this if you think it's more of a casual question than a rules question, thanks

[Legend]

There's an issue of Inquest Magazine in which MaRo lays out a way to play Magic solitaire. Is that the version you're playing? I played it for awhile back in the day. If you can find it, it might provide "authoritative" answers to your questions.

[folding_music]

oh, thanks, I'll have to track that down!

I'm trying to write up some of my thoughts about the game, realizing how weird I sound on this forum when I mention "variants" or whatever when everyone's posting about commander; these are the rules I'm thinking about right now - fixations

[Krishnath]

Well, it varies from card to card actually.

You can activate Rainbow Vale to tap it for one in any color. Since you lack an opponent, the delayed trigger simply does nothing when it activates because you can't chose an opponent.

For Bargaining Table, since it refers specifically to an opponent in its activated ability and you lack an opponent one of two things will be true: 1. You can't activate it as you lack an opponent. 2. You can activate it, but since you lack an opponent, their hand is effectively zero, meaning you can never use it to draw a card. The end result is the same: It will not allow you to draw cards.

Finally, for Fervent Mastery, since you are lacking an opponent, you can simply not use the alternate casting cost, as it requires an opponent to function.

It is weird, but MTG Solitaire mode is by definition weird to begin with. >.<

[WizardMN]

For Bargaining Table, since it refers specifically to an opponent in its activated ability and you lack an opponent one of two things will be true: 1. You can't activate it as you lack an opponent. 2. You can activate it, but since you lack an opponent, their hand is effectively zero, meaning you can never use it to draw a card. The end result is the same: It will not allow you to draw cards.

A good corollary is War Room. You can't activate it without a Commander so it would probably be similar here where you can't activate this without an Opponent. At least, in spirit it seems exceptionally close.

Finally, for Fervent Mastery, since you are lacking an opponent, you can simply not use the alternate casting cost, as it requires an opponent to function.

This one I disagree with. This is just a function of the resolution of the spell that determines what happens when you paid the alternate cost. It would fall more in line with Rainbow Vale: it tries to do something and can't so it just doesn't. It isn't a requirement to have the opponent do something when it is cast; only when it resolves and the spell has already been cast by that point and won't be "uncast" if part of the instruction can't be followed.

[Krishnath]

Finally, for Fervent Mastery, since you are lacking an opponent, you can simply not use the alternate casting cost, as it requires an opponent to function.

This one I disagree with. This is just a function of the resolution of the spell that determines what happens when you paid the alternate cost. It would fall more in line with Rainbow Vale: it tries to do something and can't so it just doesn't. It isn't a requirement to have the opponent do something when it is cast; only when it resolves and the spell has already been cast by that point and won't be "uncast" if part of the instruction can't be followed.

You know more about the rules than me, probably by a longshot, so I bow to your expertise.

[WizardMN]

To be fair, this is more academic since the rules don't actually support 1 player games. It is entirely possible a rule would/should exist (if 1 player play actually existed) to make your interpretation correct. After all, we do have things like Fact or Fiction that don't target but do require an opponent to make a choice on resolution which obviously can't happen without an opponent and honestly creates a weird situation since the only actions taken are taken on cards in the piles but piles can't be made.

[Coilavana]

I double it, Fervent Mastery is just a function that determines what happens when you paid the alternate cost. By the way, be careful when casting a permanent. You should have a plan for how to get rid of it later because there can be only one permanent on the table (not counting Auras and Equipment on it) at the same time of the game. It may happen you cannot play any other permanents for the rest of the game. Personally, I don't like this mode much. I do like the classic online solitaire, but MTG variation seems to me a bit underdone.