Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit and 0 toughness creatures
Asked by ulysses2009 4 years ago
If i have Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit on the battlefield and resurrect a 0 toughness creature (for example an X/X of any kind), can i bolster this creature before it dies to keep it in play?
If that is possible, does it work if Anafenza enters the battlefield at the same time?
Not only that, but SBAs are also checked before things resolve. If you somehow got it to survive entering the battlefield as a 0-toughness creature (some sort of anthem that is then removed after Anafenza's ability is on the stack), SBAs are checked again before Anafenza's ability can resolve, and the 0-toughness creature would go to the graveyard.
April 6, 2020 10:24 a.m.
Tylord2894 says... #3
Actually dragonstryke58, that's not completely correct. Yes, the creature will be put into the graveyard almost immediately after entering the battlefield, Anafenza will still trigger. After SBA are checked, triggers that have occurred are placed on the stack, yes; however, an ability triggers when the condition for it have been met. Since a creature entered the battlefield, Anafenza's ability triggers then. It is put onto the stack later.
603.2. Whenever a game event or game state matches a triggered ability’s trigger event, that ability automatically triggers. The ability doesn’t do anything at this point.
603.3. Once an ability has triggered, its controller puts it on the stack as an object that’s not a card the next time a player would receive priority. See rule 117, “Timing and Priority.” The ability becomes the topmost object on the stack. It has the text of the ability that created it, and no other characteristics. It remains on the stack until it’s countered, it resolves, a rule causes it to be removed from the stack, or an effect moves it elsewhere.
Also, this still happens if Anafenza and another creature ETB together. Let's say you cast Collected Company and find Anafenza and Walking Ballista. They both ETB. Anafenza will trigger. Before the trigger resolves, Walking Ballista will die. Luckily, Anafenza's trigger doesn't target. You get to choose your to-be-bolstered creature upon resolution. Unfortunately, you can't choose Walking Ballista. (Below is part of CR 603.10. The latter half talks about something that doesn't have to do with the question at hand.)
603.10. Normally, objects that exist immediately after an event are checked to see if the event matched any trigger conditions, and continuous effects that exist at that time are used to determine what the trigger conditions are and what the objects involved in the event look like...
April 6, 2020 2:06 p.m.
dragonstryke58 says... #4
I never said that Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit will not trigger. I said that SBA's will be checked before the trigger is put to the stack resulting in the creature dying before the trigger gets put to the stack.
Basically, the trigger of Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit would not save the 0/0 creature.
April 6, 2020 2:45 p.m.
Tylord2894 says... #5
dragonstryke58, sorry. I misinterpreted what you said. I was looking for a summary of what you said after your explanation, like your last line in this most recent comment. Sorry for the confusion.
dragonstryke58 says... Accepted answer #1
No, it will not be possible to bolster a creature before it dies.
Before any player gets priority to add anything to the stack, state-based actions will be checked. The game will see a creature with 0 toughness and move it to the graveyard. Plainly put, before anafenza kin-tree spirit 's trigger goes onto the stack, SBA's will be checked and the 0 toughness creature will die.
Relevant Rules:
704.3. Whenever a player would get priority (see rule 117, “Timing and Priority”), the game checks for any of the listed conditions for state-based actions, then performs all applicable state-based actions simultaneously as a single event. If any state-based actions are performed as a result of a check, the check is repeated; otherwise all triggered abilities that are waiting to be put on the stack are put on the stack, then the check is repeated. Once no more state-based actions have been performed as the result of a check and no triggered abilities are waiting to be put on the stack, the appropriate player gets priority. This process also occurs during the cleanup step (see rule 514), except that if no state-based actions are performed as the result of the step’s first check and no triggered abilities are waiting to be put on the stack, then no player gets priority and the step ends.
and
704.5f If a creature has toughness 0 or less, it’s put into its owner’s graveyard. Regeneration can’t replace this event.
April 6, 2020 5:33 a.m.