Butcher of Malakir + Eldrazi Spawn Tokens

Asked by davesol 8 years ago

I have a Butcher of Malakir and 4 Eldrazi Spawn tokens (they have "Sacrifice this creature: Add 1 to your mana pool.")

if I sacrifice the tokens, and then an oppenent casts Disperse at instant speed (targeting the Butcher of Malakir), am I right in thinking that it's triggered ability is still on the stack at that point so the opponent will still have to sacrifice 4 creatures?

If this is the case, is there any way my opponent can prevent the ability from resolving (without already having cards in play that prevent abilities from triggering)?

BlueScope says... Accepted answer #1

Triggers on the stack are independent of their source, so you would be correct to think that your opponent has to sacrifice 4 creatures still.

Things that would circumvent this are Stifle (though your opponent would need 4 of those, as you have 4 abilities) or Day's Undoing + Quicken (which will remove all spells and abilities from the stack and end the turn).

September 16, 2015 10:07 a.m.

Boza says... #2

Stifle and co. is hte right way to counter this play and Sigarda, Host of Herons will prevent it.

Once an ability or spell is put on the stack, it exist independently of its source. Doing anything to the source will not hinder those abilities from resolving.

September 16, 2015 10:10 a.m.

davesol says... #3

in fact thinking about it, can the opponent even cast the Disperse in response - is sacrificing the spawn not a mana ability and therefore can't be responded to?

September 16, 2015 10:20 a.m.

Boza says... #4

Well, you said that the disperse is targeting the Butcher, so not sure how the scion's mana ability comes into play. Casting disperse on a token that is able to sacrifice itself is not a good idea.

September 16, 2015 10:23 a.m.

BlueScope says... #5

It is a mana ability, but upon activating it, it triggers the Butcher, and it's ability can be perfectly responded to.

September 16, 2015 10:26 a.m.

davesol says... #6

Boza I meant would they have priority to play the disperse in response to me sacrificing the butcher

September 16, 2015 10:27 a.m.

Devonin says... #7

Sacrificing an Eldrazi Scion is the cost of activating it's mana ability "Add (1) to your mana pool" that is a mana ability, does not use the stack, and cannot be responded to. However, each time a creature dies, the triggered ability of Butcher of Malakir triggers and goes onto the stack, and that -does- use the stack and -can- be responded to.

They have a chance to cast Disperse before or after any of the individual sacrifice triggers of the Butcher resolve, but the abilities are all on the stack, so they still have to sacrifice regardless.

There's no timing where they can avoid the triggers without directly countering them via Stifle effects. If you sacrifice a spawn, triggering Butcher, and in response to Butcher's trigger, they try to bounce him, you can just sacrifice the other spawn in response to their spell, which will still create all the other triggers.

September 16, 2015 11:09 a.m.

This discussion has been closed