Does this ability activate twice?
Asked by Sleepiily 4 years ago
I’m newer to MTG and was watching SaffronOlive play some “adventure” creatures from the new Eldraine series. I might’ve misunderstood him, but I believe he said that Merfolk Secretkeeper can utilize its ability twice? Once from going on an adventure, and a second time from being summoned onto the battlefield? I just want to figure out the right way to use it before playing creatures that can adventure.
dragonstryke58 says... #2
If I am correct in understanding this, the OP is asking if the effect of Venture Deeper of Merfolk Secretkeeper happens once when casting it as an adventure and once when Merfolk Secretkeeper is cast/enters the battlefield.
The answer would be no. Adventure cards consist of two parts; the normal characteristics (the right side) and the alternative characteristics (the left side). Except when cast as an adventure, a card with an adventure has only its normal characteristics (the right side). The only time an adventure card will use its alternate characteristics (the left side) is on the stack when cast as an adventure.
From the Comprehensive Rules:
715.2. The text that appears in the inset frame on the left defines alternative characteristics that the object may have while it’s a spell. The card’s normal characteristics appear as usual, although with a smaller text box on the right.
and
715.3b While on the stack as an Adventure, the spell has only its alternative characteristics.
and
715.4. In every zone except the stack, and while on the stack not as an Adventure, an adventurer card has only its normal characteristics.
January 8, 2020 11:11 p.m.
dragonstryke58 says... #3
To better address the situation described in the original post:
Merfolk Secretkeeper itself has no abilities. When you cast the card as an adventure, you are casting Ventuer Deeper and not Merfolk Secretkeeper . When you cast Merfolk Secretkeeper from your hand or from exile after it was cast as an adventure (or anywhere else), it will only have the normal characteristics (the right side) and not have the characteristics of Venture Deeper.
January 8, 2020 11:22 p.m.
Rhadamanthus says... #4
Sleepiily: Correct answers to your questions have been up for a while. I chose one of the responses to mark as the "Accepted answer" so that this thread can move out of the list of unanswered questions. Please remember to take care of this yourself in the future.
Boza says... Accepted answer #1
Without knowing for sure what is referenced, I can assume it is connected with the interaction between Drowned Secrets and Merfolk Secretkeeper in a dedicated Mill deck.
When you cast a card that has as an adventure, you can cast it as an adventure (instant or sorcery) and it goes to exile instead of the graveyard after it resolves, which allows you to later cast the creature from exile. Otherwise, you can simply cast the creature as normal.
Now, when you cast Merfolk Secretkeeper as an adventure and later as a creature from exile, you get to trigger Drowned Secrets twice, since you cast two separate blue spells.
January 8, 2020 7:37 a.m.