Sharuum the Hegemon
Asked by CaiusV 7 years ago
I want to use this sphinx as my commander. Am I allowed to flicker her? If I flicker her into exile, does she get deported to the command zone and I have to pay to get her back?
Gidgetimer says... #2
The official rules for commander are at http://mtgcommander.net/rules.php. specifically rule 9 states "If a Commander would be put into a library, hand, graveyard or exile from anywhere, its owner may choose to move it to the command zone instead".
As TheVectornaut pointed out it is a "may" and as such you are never required to send your commander to the command zone.
April 6, 2017 11:28 p.m.
This is, however, largely irrelevant. If you cast Flicker on your commander you may choose to exile it, or put it in the command zone. Either way, Flicker locates it in whichever zone it went to and then returns the card to the battlefield under its owner's (your) control.
April 7, 2017 6:10 a.m.
Rhadamanthus says... #4
Verifying the other answers that sending a Commander to the command zone is a choice, not mandatory.
Also verifying that a "flicker" effect can send it to the command zone and bring it back if you want to do it that way for whatever reason (I can't think of any examples where this would make a meaningful difference). The reason is because an effect that moves an object from one zone to another can always find it in the first zone it moved to as long as it's a public zone (battlefield, graveyard, exile, command). It will lose track of the object if some other effect moves it again, but that's not what's happening in your example.
April 7, 2017 2:23 p.m.
Daedalus19876 says... #5
Rhadamanthus: Can you give a comp rules citation for that second part? Not because I doubt you, but because it clarifies a few things around Oblivion Ring.
April 7, 2017 4:17 p.m.
Rhadamanthus says... Accepted answer #6
I'll explain further after the citation, but to be clear: this concept doesn't apply to Oblivion Ring.
400.7. An object that moves from one zone to another becomes a new object with no memory of, or relation to, its previous existence. There are eight exceptions to this rule:
...
400.7h If an effect causes an object to move to a public zone, other parts of that effect can find that object. If the cost of a spell or ability causes an object to move to a public zone, that spell or ability's effects can find that object.
Rule 400.7h is the reason why you can "flicker" a Commander between the battlefield and command zone. The option to move the Commander to the command zone is a replacement effect. Applying it will cause the flicker effect to move the card to the command zone instead of exile. That's a public zone, so the rest of the effect will still be able to find it and return it to the battlefield.
However this isn't how Oblivion Ring works.
406.2. To exile an object is to put it into the exile zone from whatever zone it's currently in. An exiled card is a card thats been put into the exile zone.
406.6. An object may have one ability printed on it that causes one or more cards to be exiled, and another ability that refers either to "the exiled cards" or to cards "exiled with [this object]." These abilities are linked: the second refers only to cards that have been exiled due to the first.
If a ring-ed Commander is sent to the command zone instead of exile by the first ability, then there's no "exiled card" for the second ability to refer to. Oblivion Ring can't bring it back from the command zone.
April 7, 2017 4:37 p.m.
Daedalus19876 says... #7
Rhadamanthus: So you COULD put your commander in the command zone if it was hit by Banishing Light (and return it if the Banishing Light left) but not if it was hit by Oblivion Ring?
(Also, sorry for hijacking your rules thread, CaiusV.)
April 7, 2017 4:41 p.m.
Rhadamanthus says... #8
Yes, that's correct. 400.7h applies to Banishing Light and 406.6 applies to Oblivion Ring.
April 7, 2017 5:08 p.m.
As long as your commander is hasn't moved since being put in the command zone, as soon as Banishing Light leaves the battlefield the commander returns. You do not have an option as to whether the commander is returned, and it does not use the stack.
TheVectornaut says... #1
Nothing prevents commanders from being flickered. While there isn't an official ruling I know of, the common ruling on the command zone (taken from Gamepedia) is:
"If your commander would go to a graveyard, hand, library or exile from anywhere, you may instead put it in the command zone"
The key word there is "may". You choose whether you want the card to be exiled or sent to the command zone instead. I believe I've read that some effects will still bring a commander sent to the command zone back to the battlefield while others won't. However, I am uncertain on this ruling and would refer to someone with more rules knowledge. In any case, you would be free to Flicker Sharuum the Hegemon, exile her, then return her to play. Useful for triggering her ability again, dodging targeted removal, etc.
April 6, 2017 7:06 p.m.