Champion of Stray Souls Questions

Asked by Ramz-E 11 years ago

Hey guys, I have a few questions about Champion of the Stray Souls.

Firstly, when you choose X creatures to sacrifice, can it be more than are in your graveyard? i.e Can you sacrifice say 4 creatures to get 2 out of the graveyard if they are the only 2 there?

Secondly, when you activate his sacrifice ability, do you need to specify each of the X creatures when you activate the ability, or can you wait until the ability resolves to pick your targets?

Thanks.

Absinthman says... Accepted answer #1

  1. No, you must choose exactly X different targets, because the ability does not read "up to X target creature cards".

  2. Targets for spells and abilities are always chosen at the time of casting/activation/triggering. They won't be put onto the stack until all targeting requirements have been fulfilled.
March 12, 2014 10:47 a.m.

Rhadamanthus says... #2

The steps of the spell-casting process all happen in a certain order. Relevant to your question: the value of X is decided before targets are chosen, which is done before costs are paid (paying costs is actually the very last step). If you can't choose enough legal targets for a spell/ability then it can't be cast/activated. This means the number of targets chosen for Champion of Stray Souls has to exactly match the value of X you decided on.

Targets are chosen during the casting process, not later.

March 12, 2014 10:47 a.m.

Ramz-E says... #3

OK cool. Thanks guys.

March 12, 2014 10:56 a.m.

Ramz-E says... #4

What if then, you have picked say 5 creatures to be sacrificed and placed the ability on the stack, then your opponent decides to destroy or exile one of the chosen creatures?

Does that prevent the whole ability from working since one of the targets is now illegal?

March 13, 2014 5:53 a.m.

Absinthman says... #5

What you describe is impossible. There is no window of time in which your opponent would be able to do so. Though you take actions and make choices in a sequence (choose the value for X, then pinpoint targets, then pay the costs), it's all part of a single process which must be finished first. Nobody gets priority in the middle.

In other words, your opponent is allowed to repond only after you've already sacrificed X creatures and the ability is on the stack.

March 13, 2014 6:59 a.m.

Ramz-E says... #6

How is it impossible? Surely if I built a stack up that had this sacrifice ability on the stack, with all the targets picked out and my opponent places a creature removal card later on the same stack it would resolve first and remove one of the sacrifice targets before it could resolve right?

March 13, 2014 8:59 a.m.

Ramz-E says... #7

Oh nevermind, I see what you mean now. The Sacrifice X creatures is part of the ability cost. Silly me!

March 13, 2014 9:52 a.m.

This discussion has been closed