The chicken or the egg?

Asked by CaiusV 6 years ago

If I have Cathars' Crusade out, and I blink Hangarback Walker, does it enter as a 0/0, killing it before the +1/+1 counter can be placed on it? Or does the counter get placed on it AS it's entering the battlefield, so it technically enters as a 1/1?

acbooster says... Accepted answer #1

Here's what will happen:

Hangarback Walker enters the battlefield with X = 0, meaning it enters with 0 +1/+1 counters.
Cathars' Crusade triggers and the ability goes on the stack.
Before it can resolve or anyone can respond, state-based actions are checked and Hangarback Walker goes to the graveyard for having 0 toughness.
Cathars' Crusade's ability resolves, putting a +1/+1 counter on any other creatures you may have on the field.

April 20, 2017 1:18 a.m.

Epochalyptik says... #2

Technically, SBAs are checked before the triggered ability is put onto the stack. SBAs are performed before players get priority while abilities are put into the stack when they get priority.

This doesn't matter in this case, but it could matter in others (such as when the triggered ability requires a target; the dead creature would not be a legal target).

April 20, 2017 7:44 a.m.

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