How does Suspend work with the newer Eldrazi effects?

Asked by Noogin 7 years ago

My friend argues that cards with the suspend ability are exiled in what they call "suspend exile". They believe that suspended cards can not be affected by cards like Ulamog's Nullifier. Is this the case?

Gidgetimer says... Accepted answer #1

There is not a special exile for suspend. Suspend card can be affected by anything that interacts with exiled cards.

Providing a rule for this is a bit hard. The rules mean exactly what they say, no more no less. So you use this fact to see that there is no such thing as "suspend exile" and that suspended cards are simply put into exile.

400.1. A zone is a place where objects can be during a game. There are normally seven zones: library, hand, battlefield, graveyard, stack, exile, and command. Some older cards also use the ante zone. Each player has his or her own library, hand, and graveyard. The other zones are shared by all players.

702.61a Suspend is a keyword that represents three abilities. The first is a static ability that functions while the card with suspend is in a players hand. The second and third are triggered abilities that function in the exile zone. Suspend N[cost] means If you could begin to cast this card by putting it onto the stack from your hand, you may pay [cost] and exile it with N time counters on it. This action doesnt use the stack, and At the beginning of your upkeep, if this card is suspended, remove a time counter from it, and When the last time counter is removed from this card, if its exiled, play it without paying its mana cost if able. If you cant, it remains exiled. If you cast a creature spell this way, it gains haste until you lose control of the spell or the permanent it becomes.

Notice that nowhere in listing the zones, the only legal places for game objects to be, did it list "suspend exile". Also nowhere in the rules for suspend did it say the card was anywhere except exile when it was suspended.

October 19, 2016 9:24 p.m.

Raging_Squiggle says... #2

To add, a card exiled in any way, whether it be Suspend, Oblivion Ring, Pyxis of Pandemonium, Spell Queller, etc, are exiled within the exile zone. Albeit exiled in different manners and methods, there is only one exile zone.

Any card that interacts with cards in exile can interact with cards exiled by the examples above and more. (Like Riftsweeper or the card the OP mentioned).

October 19, 2016 10:04 p.m.