Infinite Undying Combo with Grim Poppet?

Asked by Liukus 6 years ago

Providing you resolve Mikaeus, the Unhallowed and Grim Poppet with some kind of sac engine like Viscera Seer, couldn't you infinitely trigger a sac and undying proc on some ETB card?

Example: You start by saccing your target ETB creature (let's call them TEC)

  1. Creature dies, hits the graveyard and Mikaeus, the Unhallowed brings back creature via undying. TEC now has a +1/1 counter.
  2. Remove a counter from Grim Poppet, Place on TEC. A state-based action triggers once the counter resolves and negates the +1/1 and -1/1 leaving no counters on our TEC.
  3. Sac TEC. It comes back via Undying and +1/1 counter.
  4. Repeat steps 2-3 until Grim Poppet has no more -1/1 counters on it.
  5. Sac Grim Poppet. It comes back via Undying with (3) -1/1 counters and a +1/1 counter. State-based action sets this to (2) -1/1 counters.
  6. Repeat 1-5 until you have accomplished your goal.

Is this a correct understanding of the rules? Am I missing something here, because this seems perfectly valid, just a lot of work to get going.

DrLitebur says... #1

IIRC, in Step 2, you would be mistaken because the +1/+1 and -1/-1 counters don't "negate" each other, they are both still remaining. It would be a creature with both counters on it. So if you Sacced it the second time, it would already have the +1/+1 counter from the original Undying trigger, and hence, not be eligible for a second trigger of it.

I believe that is how it would work.

July 30, 2017 10:16 p.m.

Rhadamanthus says... Accepted answer #2

It works, and all of your steps are correct. +1/+1 and -1/-1 counters automatically remove each other if they're on the same permanent simultaneously. I suppose there's a very minor point to make that SBAs don't "trigger" (they just happen, and can't be responded to) but everything else is fine.

Also "proc" isn't the best word to use to describe triggered abilities in Magic. A true proc is something that only has a certain percentage chance of occurring after a given event, but in Magic a triggered ability will trigger every time the event happens.

July 30, 2017 10:18 p.m.

Liukus says... #3

I did know SBA's don't trigger, and I didn't think about the use of the word "proc". Appreciate the speedy response.

July 30, 2017 10:26 p.m.

Please login to comment