Does a multitarget spell or ability resolve if one or more leaves the field in the process?
Asked by ironchalice 10 years ago
I have an AEtherling and a Vortex Elemental in my graveyard and a Necrotic Ooze on the battlefield. I attack with Necrotic Ooze and they block with a random chump blocker. Can activate the ability Necrotic Ooze gains from Vortex Elemental and return both the blocker and the Necrotic Ooze to their owner's deck and then put the ability Necrotic Ooze gains from Aetherling on the stack and exile itself until the end of the turn? Will the Vortex Elemental's ability resolve?
ironchalice says... #2
Wow I didn't even realize Vortex Elemental did not target. Thanks so much.
April 19, 2014 5:18 a.m.
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Epochalyptik says... Accepted answer #1
It's worth noting that none of the abilities relevant in this situation actually target anything. A spell or ability only targets if it uses the word "target."
You would have to activate the ability inherited from Vortex Elemental , then respond by activating the ability inherited by AEtherling . By doing so, you'll blink your Necrotic Ooze until the beginning of the next end step, and all of the creatures it was blocking or blocked by before the exile ability resolved will be shuffled into their owner's library.
1/1/2014: If Vortex Elemental isnt on the battlefield when its first ability resolves, any creatures blocking or blocked by it when it left the battlefield will be put on top of their owners libraries and those libraries will be shuffled.
To answer the question in your title, a spell or ability is countered by the rules if all of its targets are illegal when it attempts to resolve. This is called "fizzling." A spell or ability only fizzles if every target is illegal; if at least one target is still legal, the spell or ability will resolve and do as much as it can.
April 19, 2014 5:15 a.m.