Can tokens be returned to their owners hand?
Asked by TIMMSY7 12 years ago
For example if I was to use a Dramatic Rescue on a 8/8 Elemental Token, can you return it to its owners hand and if you can what will happen to it will it be destroyed?
Schuesseled says... #2
tokens cease to exist when they leave the battlefield, so yes you can cast Dramatic Rescue on your elemental, but he ain't coming back.
March 31, 2013 2:48 p.m.
You will still gain two life from the Dramatic Rescue . This makes it effective against a player with an 8/8 elemental, because you can get rid of the elemental and gain two life.
March 31, 2013 2:48 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... Accepted answer #4
Just a note: tokens cease to exist as a state-based action, so they technically don't disappear until after the spell or ability has fully resolved. However, there is a rule in place that prevents tokens that have left the battlefield from reentering the battlefield.
110.5f A token that's phased out, or that's in a zone other than the battlefield, ceases to exist. This is a state-based action; see rule 704. (Note that if a token changes zones, applicable triggered abilities will trigger before the token ceases to exist.)
110.5g A token that has left the battlefield can't move to another zone or come back onto the battlefield. If such a token would change zones, it remains in its current zone instead. It ceases to exist the next time state-based actions are checked; see rule 704.
March 31, 2013 2:51 p.m.
TheSeventhNinja says... #5
You can use dramatic rescue on it, but once the token leaves the battlefield it is destroyed. Anything that removes the token from the battlefield will destroy it.
- Tokens
216.1. Some effects put tokens into play. A token is controlled by whoever put it into play and owned by the controller of the spell or ability that created it. (If no player controlled the effect that created it, the token is owned by whoever put it into play.) The spell or ability may define any number of characteristics for the token. This becomes the token's "text." The characteristics defined this way are functionally equivalent to the characteristics that are printed on a card; for example, they define the token's copiable values. A token doesn't have any characteristics not defined by the spell or ability that created it.
216.1a. A spell or ability that creates a creature token sets both its name and its creature type. If the spell or ability doesn't specify the name of the creature token, its name is the same as its creature type(s). A "Goblin Scout creature token," for example, is named "Goblin Scout" and has the creature subtypes Goblin and Scout. Once a token is in play, changing its name doesn't change its creature type, and vice versa.
216.2. A token is subject to anything that affects permanents in general or that affects the tokens card type or subtype. A token isnt a card (even if represented by a card that has a Magic back or that came from a Magic booster pack).
216.3. A token in a zone other than the in-play zone ceases to exist. This is a state-based effect. (Note that a token changing zones sets off triggered abilities before the token ceases to exist.) Once a token has left play, it can't be returned to play by any means.
216.4 A token that has left play cant come back into play. If such a token would return to play, it remains in its current zone instead. It ceases to exist the next time state-based effects are checked.
http://wiki.mtgsalvation.com/article/Token
March 31, 2013 2:53 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #6
@TheSeventhNinja: The tokens are not destroyed. They simply cease to exist. This is relevant because objects that are destroyed are put into their owner's graveyard. Tokens that leave the battlefield are not destroyed, and they are not put into a graveyard. You also can't destroy something that isn't on the battlefield.
March 31, 2013 2:55 p.m.
@Epoch, that's not entirely true, tokens are destroyed and put into the graveyard, they just cease to exist as they change zones. They still trigger any relevant LTB abilities, and are subject to Destroy effects as well as being regenerated or being indestructible. Yes, tokens ARE destroyed and YES they do get sent to the graveyard, but then cease to exist when state based actions are checked after the effect that sent them to the graveyard is fully resolved, before any player receives priority.
March 31, 2013 4:08 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #8
@magic99: I'm well aware that tokens can be destroyed. However, we aren't talking about tokens dying here. We're talking about tokens being returned to their owner's hands, a process that does not result in the destruction of those tokens.
JMANNO33O says... #1
If a token were to move to any zone besides the battlefield, it ceases to exist. It won't be destroyed, it will just disappear for eternity.So in another example, if you Cloudshift a token, it won't come back to the battlefield because it doesn't exist.
March 31, 2013 2:47 p.m.