I need some help with the legend rule.

Asked by Redcat7264 5 years ago

So I know that you can only have 1 legendary creature with the each name on the field at the time or else the other gets destroyed. But if I have Mairsil, the Pretender and I cage Pack Rat and then use the ability, when the token enters the battle field do I still get to cage a creature from my hand or graveyard, or is it destroyed before that.

Caerwyn says... Accepted answer #1

This will work. The Legend Rule checks when state based actions are checked, which is after the copy's ability triggers. I think the easiest way to show why this will work is to break it down:

  1. You activate Mairsil's Pack Rat ability. Let's assume it resolves.

  2. The ability resolves and a copy of Mairsil is created. It enters the battlefield and its ability goes on the stack.

  3. State based actions are checked--you destroy the copy of Mairsil.

  4. Triggers exist independently of their source. The fact that the Mairsil copy no longer exists is irrelevant.

  5. The trigger resolves and you can exile an artifact or creature.

September 24, 2018 1:19 a.m. Edited.

Neotrup says... #2

Slight technical, it enter the battlefield triggering the ability, then dies to legend ruke, then the ability is put on the stack. Also isn't destroyed, just sent to the yard

September 24, 2018 2:03 a.m.

DrkNinja says... #3

No offense to the others but none of this matters as Pack Rat's ability specifies that you put a copy of Pack Rat onto the battlefield. Mairsil is not Pack Rat.

September 26, 2018 5:13 p.m.

Caerwyn says... #4

DrkNinja - you are incorrect. From Mairsil, the Pretender's Rulings:

"If an activated ability of a card in exile with a cage counter on it references the card it’s printed on by name, treat Mairsil’s instance of that ability as though it referenced Mairsil by name instead. For instance, if Mairsil exiles Magus of the Mind, the cost to activate the ability includes sacrificing Mairsil, not sacrificing Magus of the Mind."

September 26, 2018 5:50 p.m.

DrkNinja says... #5

Interesting... Apologies.

September 26, 2018 6:04 p.m.

Kogarashi says... #6

Basically, whenever a card's ability references itself by name, such as with Pack Rat or Magus of the Mind, you treat that reference as if it said, instead, "This object." So "create a copy of this object" or "sacrifice this object" instead of the card names.

September 28, 2018 8:41 a.m.

DrkNinja says... #7

No it made sense, I just didn't check the card's rulings because I figured it wouldn't be that broken... alas I was wrong.

September 28, 2018 12:50 p.m.

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