Can I stack Oversold Cemetery with exactly 4 creatures in my graveyard?
Asked by vic 2 years ago
At the beginning of my turn, I have two Oversold Cemeterys in play and exactly four creatures in my graveyard. Do I get to bring two of them to my hand?
Terrific answer, Polaris. First I ever of heard of a check for one thing being performed more than once. Interesting. I didn't know that could happen.
December 14, 2021 4:27 a.m.
vic, for reference this is called an intervening if clause. All intervening if triggers will check for its correct conditions both when it would try to trigger, and when it goes to resolve. If the condition isn't met when the ability would first trigger, it doesn't trigger at all. If the condition isn't met when the ability would resolve, it doesn't do anything.
They're all worded as "When/whenever/at [the trigger condition], if [the thing that is checked twice] is the case, do X".
Ex.: Deathbringer Regent, Aurora Champion, and of course Oversold Cemetery.
December 14, 2021 8:47 a.m.
Yesterday that's some nice info. That's going to improve my more advanced understanding of the game. Amazing how that can happen even with years of experience.
Anyway I'm trying to figure how the comparison works with Deathbringer Regent. I assume you mean a scenario in which two of them come into play at once and kill each other. But I can't see how the rules of the card allow for that possibility because that would somehow involve not casting them directly. And you can't cast two cards from your hand at once.
December 15, 2021 4:19 a.m.
vic, the casting from hand will either be true or not. The part where the intervening if clause matters is "there are five or more other creatures on the battlefield." The ability will only trigger if Deathbringer Regent was cast from your hand and there are at least five other creatures in play when it enters the battlefield. Then when the trigger resolves, it will count the number of other creatures again, and if there are fewer than five now (because people responded with removal, sacrificing a few creatures, Semester's End to blink their board until end of turn, etc), Deathbringer Regent won't destroy anything.
Polaris says... Accepted answer #1
No, because the trigger checks how many creatures you have twice. At the beginning of your upkeep, Oversold Cemetery will see that you have at least four creatures in the graveyard, so both copies will trigger and go on the stack. When you resolve the first trigger, it will see four creature cards in your graveyard and let you return a creature card to your hand. When the second trigger resolves, it will see only three creature cards in your graveyard, so the ability won't do anything. See the Gatherer ruling:
The check for four or more creature cards is performed on resolution as well as at the beginning of upkeep. So the trigger may not do anything if there are not enough creatures any longer. (2004-10-04)
If you can get another creature card in the graveyard (for example, discarding the one you just returned to activate Harnfel, Horn of Bounty) before the second trigger resolves, your graveyard would qualify again and you would be able to return a second creature card to your hand.
December 13, 2021 8:48 a.m.