Saving a Sacrificed Card with Untap Ability

Asked by Lionax 8 years ago

Could a card like Lotus Petal be saved after tapping it to sacrifice it by a Card which says Untap a Card?

I don't think so... but you can't be to sure! :D

BlueScope says... #1

No, tapping the card is a cost, not a requirement for the sacrifice. You won't be able to respond to paying a cost before it's being paid.

Also, untapping a card doesn't "nullify" the triggered ability. The ability is on the stack, and no matter what happens to the permanent or spell that created it.

August 3, 2015 3:11 p.m.

BlueScope says... #2

By the way, the reason cards like Lotus Petal make you tap it before you sacrifice it is to demand an additional requirement.

For example, if a player controls Lodestone Myr and the Petal, they could tap the Petal to give +1/+1 to the Myr, then sacrifice it for a mana. Demanding to tap the artifact makes cards like Lotus Petal a little less broken, and also allow opponents to prevent you from using it they way you want to by tapping it with spells or abilities.

August 3, 2015 3:38 p.m.

sonnet666 says... Accepted answer #3

@BlueScope, Ok, a couple things:

There's no triggered ability here, Lotus Petal has an activated mana ability. It also never goes on the stack, as mana abilities resolve immediately.

@Lionax: Untaping a permanent that has a tap activated ability never undos the ability. That would make the game very silly.

Also sacrificing the Petal is part of the cost of the ability, so as soon as you activate it, Lotus Petal goes to the graveyard. (The cost of an activated ability is everything that comes before the colon, i.e. "(Tap), Sacrifice Lotus Petal: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.") Therefore there is no way to "save" it short of returning it from the graveyard to the battlefield, because as soon as you get priority to do something else, it's already gone.

August 3, 2015 3:59 p.m.

BlueScope says... #4

Yeah, activated ability of course... I keep messing them up when explaining things... :) The mana ability part I indeed missed, as I was thinking cards in general. You of course would be correct, though!

August 3, 2015 4:30 p.m.