Question about changing creature control
Asked by polydeuces17 7 years ago
Playing commander with a friend, I attack him with 2 creatures, he casts Grab the Reins to target one, I cast Rootborn Defenses in response... once reins resolves and he takes control of my creature, will it still have the indestructible or not?
It still has indestructible. When Rootborn Defenses resolves, all creatures you control at that point gain the keyword ability "indestructible" until the end of turn. After that it doesn't matter whether the permanent is still something you control or even whether it's still a creature, it'll retain the indestructible keyword until the end of turn.
February 9, 2017 6:12 a.m. Edited.
Oddly, this is actually the opposite of how it worked when printed, as it didn't grant an ability, but rather stated something that was true about creatures you control. However now that Indestructible is a keyword ability that gets granted it's locked in at the time Rootborn Defenses resolves.
February 9, 2017 7:46 a.m.
Yes, the creature will be indestructible, however, if your friend played the entwine cost, that won't prevent him from sacrificing the creature he stole from you to deal you damage. Not sure if that was in question as well, but thought I'd mention it.
BlueScope says... #1
All creatures you control at the time Rootborn Defenses resolves will gain indestructible until end of turn (including the token created by Populate). If control of one of those creatures then changes, it will still have Indestructible until end of turn.
What you obviously can do to not give your opponent an indestructible creature is casting Rootborn Defenses after Grab the Reins resolves. This works for the scenario you described, where only one of your creatures gets targetted. If Grab the Reins targets both creatures (one to take control over, the other to deal damage to), you have to cast Rootborn Defenses is response to keep your second creature from dieing, which won't be harmful in any way, as your opponent will have to sacrifice the creature right after they gained control over it, and won't be able to utilize it's indestructibility (note that Indestructible does not prevent sacrificing). As your opponent will have to announce all targets while putting the spell on the stack, you will be able to know which is the better option for you at that time.
I hope that was somewhat comprehensible...
February 9, 2017 6:12 a.m.