Aura failing to find target?
Asked by smackjack 9 years ago
I play Primal Surge and reveals a Lignify. My opponent has no creature and i have plenty. Can i "fail" to find a creature, or do i have to enchant one of my own creatures?
Primal Surge says "If it's a permanent card, you may put it onto the battlefield." Because of the wording you don't have to "fail to find" a target you can just decide not to play it. If Primal surge said "If it's a permanent card, put it onto the battlefield" then you would have no choice but to put it on a creature you control. The word "may" is the defining factor, it indicates that the choice is yours. The only downside is if you chose to not play the card then it is exiled from the game.
Rhadamanthus says... Accepted answer #1
"Fail to find" is only a valid option if you're searching a hidden zone for a card with a specific quality. The battlefield isn't a hidden zone, so in your example you have to either put Lignify onto one of your creatures or halt the Primal Surge process.
The "fail to find" option exists because it's impossible for one player to verify the contents of another player's hidden zones. There might be no card with that specific quality, or the searching player may have missed it. Gifts Ungiven shenanigans notwithstanding, the strategic advantage of "failing to find" is usually low. Some effects tell you to reveal the zone so everyone can see what's going on, otherwise they wouldn't work properly (Guided Passage is my favorite example).
March 13, 2015 10:11 a.m.