I have a Winding constrictor and play Ruinous path with awaken. How many counters do I get to place on my land?
It should be four according to what I've learned this weekend but I don't find the full rules supporting this.

Hi,

Thanks for your question. The land only gets four +1/+1 counters, not five counters. The Constrictor only applies to a creature or artifact that would have a counter put on it. With awaken, the first thing you do is add the counters to the land, then the land becomes a creature. At the point when you're putting the counters on the land, it's not a creature yet, so the Constrictor's replacement effect won't apply to it. Right afterwards, it becomes a creature, but too late for the Constrictor to add another counter.

If the land was already a creature (for instance, you had previously awakened it), then the Constrictor would apply and add another counter, but if the awaken spell is what's making the land into a creature, it won't get a bonus counter from the Constrictor.

Thanks,
Nathan Long
Magic Rules NetRep