How does Rageblood Shaman's ability work?

Question

How does the static ability of e.g. Rageblood Shaman work?

The wording is "Other Minotaur creatures you control get +1/+1 and have trample. " The questions I have are:

a) If Rageblood Shaman is on the battlefield and another Minotaur comes into play does it get/have trample and/or +1/+1?

b) If Rageblood Shaman is removed from the Battlefield do other Minotaur creatures still in play lose +1/+1 and or trample?

c) Since this effect has no cost and no trigger it is a static ability, it applies at any time as long as Rageblood Shaman is on the battlefield. If a Minotaur gets +1/+1 at any time it becomes a infinity/infinity creature. I assume this to be wrong but why?

Answer 1

This ability is a static ability. The important rules from that page say

• 604.1. Static abilities do something all the time rather than being activated or triggered. They are written as statements, and they're simply true.
• 604.2. Static abilities create continuous effects, some of which are prevention effects or replacement effects. These effects are active as long as the permanent with the ability remains on the battlefield and has the ability, or as long as the object with the ability remains in the appropriate zone, as described in rule 112.6.

From the first rule, Minotaurs "getting" +1/+1 isn't an event that happens (and definitely not repeatedly), it's just stating a fact: that each other Minotaur has one more power and toughness than it would otherwise.

Regarding continuous effects, the rules say

• 611.3a A continuous effect generated by a static ability isn’t "locked in"; it applies at any given moment to whatever its text indicates.
• 611.3b The effect applies at all times that the permanent generating it is on the battlefield or the object generating it is in the appropriate zone.

Basically, any time Rageblood Shaman and another Minotaur are on the battlefield, that Minotaur gets +1/+1 and trample. It doesn't matter which entered first, and it only works when the Shaman is on the battlefield.

Answer 2

The first part of (c) in your question is essentially the answer:

Since this effect has no cost and no trigger it is a static ability, it applies at any time as long as Rageblood Shaman is on the battlefield.

So the answer to (a) is yes, a Minotaur that enters play after the Rageblood Shaman has +1/+1 and trample. And the answer to (b) is that yes, if Rageblood Shaman leaves the battlefield, other Minotaur creatures no longer have +1/+1 and trample. (Though if they had trample for another reason, they of course keep it.)

As for this bit:

If a Minotaur gets +1/+1 at any time it becomes a infinity/infinity creature. I assume this to be wrong but why?

Yes, that is indeed wrong. Rageblood Shaman's ability does exactly what it says, no more, no less: it gives +1/+1 and trample. It applies at all times, but the effect is still just applied once. If you Rageblood Shaman along with a Pensive Minotaur (which says 2/3 on the card), it has +1/+1 and is a 3/4. And since it's a static ability, that keeps on being true, it doesn't end at the end of the turn.

That is, it's not that at every moment it gets +1/+1 compared to the previous moment (I think this is what you were suggesting). It's that at every moment, it gets +1/+1 compared to what it would be before applying that effect.