Trigger ability resolve after source is removed

Asked by TehGrief 2 weeks ago

Player A's Storm Crow is equipped with Mage Slayer and attacks, on the attack trigger, Player A casts Unleash Fury on the Storm Crow. Horrified of the consequences, Player B casts Unexpectedly Absent targetting the Storm Crow after the Unleash Fury resolves.

With the Storm Crow no longer on the battlefield, how much damage (if any) does the Mage Slayer trigger cause?

Gidgetimer says... Accepted answer #1

Two damage.

113.7a Once activated or triggered, an ability exists on the stack independently of its source. Destruction or removal of the source after that time won’t affect the ability. Note that some abilities cause a source to do something (for example, “Prodigal Pyromancer deals 1 damage to any target”) rather than the ability doing anything directly. In these cases, any activated or triggered ability that references information about the source for use while announcing an activated ability or putting a triggered ability on the stack checks that information when the ability is put onto the stack. Otherwise, it will check that information when it resolves. In both instances, if the source is no longer in the zone it’s expected to be in at that time, its last known information is used. The source can still perform the action even though it no longer exists.

April 28, 2024 5:54 p.m.