Alesha + Fiend Hunter
Asked by ohmless 8 years ago
can someone elaborate why the opponent's creature that is exiled doesn't return for me? How do I stack triggers for this to happen if necessary? I have watched videos about it but they describe it too fast and I don't understand.
Thanks a bunch in advance.
PhotogenicParasympathetic says... Accepted answer #2
Link cards so people know what you're talking about: Fiend Hunter.
The way this works is, Fiend Hunter has two abilities, one that triggers when it enters the battlefield, and one that triggers when it leaves the battlefield. So, let's say your opponent has a Storm Crow, and you want to get rid of it. You cast Fiend Hunter, and when it resolves, you target Storm Crow with it's first ability, putting that ability on the stack. When that ability resolves, it will exile the Storm Crow. However, BEFORE you let that ability resolve, you sacrifice your Fiend Hunter, which puts its second ability on the stack, to return the exiled card. Now, when the stack resolves, FIRST, you'll attempt to return the exiled card (since nothing is exiled yet, nothing happens). THEN, you exile Storm Crow, and since the Fiend Hunter is already gone, there will never be another trigger to return that Storm Crow.
The trick is, you need a card like Ashnod's Altar that allows you to sacrifice your creature at instant speed, or a card like Momentary Blink that allows you to temporarily exile your creature at instant speed.
April 12, 2017 4:44 a.m.
ok, i understand now, but I am left thinking it is weird that fiend hunter still exiles the opponent's creature when it is no longer on the battlefield. thanks for the help folks.
April 12, 2017 5 a.m.
Triggers generally are detached from creatures. If they die, the triggers are still on the stack, as activated abilities tend to as well.
MollyMab says... #1
So, Fiend Hunter has two triggers on it.
One when it leaves the battlefield, return the creature exiled by this card. One saying exile target creature.
Lets say you cast fiend hunter. It enters the battlefield. Its trigger for exiling a creature is put on the stack, targeting something. If while that trigger is on the stack, you cause the Fiend Hunter to leave play, such as Cloudshift, or killing it, the return Trigger will go on the stack above fiend hunters exile trigger.
This will return nothing, because nothing is exiled, then exile a card. Because the Fiend Hunter is dead, it can't trigger its return text again. And if it does, it is a new creature, and doesn't remember what it exiled before.
Basically you need the stack to look like:
Fiend Hunter Return Trigger
Fiend Hunter Exile Trigger
so the return trigger occurs first.
April 12, 2017 4:41 a.m.